Awards
2008 Coretta Scott King Author Award
Synopses & Reviews
Newbery Medalist and CSK Award winner Christopher Paul Curtis's debut middle-grade/young-YA novel for Scholastic features his trademark humor, compelling storytelling, and unique narrative voice.
Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the border from Detroit. He's best known for having made a memorable impression on Frederick Douglass, but that changes when a former slave steals money from Elijahs friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Elijah embarks on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of the thief and discovers firsthand the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled--a life from which hell always be free, if he can find the courage to get back home.
Review
"Like a warm cup of alphabet soup, this offering packs several essential ingredients--hope, love, despair, courage, family, honor--into a hearty, child-size blend."--Kirkus "Viney's spare narrative will hold readers with the dramatic details of her daily life."--Booklist
Synopsis
It's 1860, and eleven-year-old Elijah is a first-generation freeborn child. His Canadian town of Buxton, located just across the border from Detroit, serves as a haven for runaway slaves and their children, where Blacks can live free and govern themselves away from the horrors of pre-emancipation America. When the town's corrupt preacher steals money from a citizen who's been saving to buy his family's freedom, Elijah sets off for Detroit in pursuit. He encounters a group of captured runaway slaves; unable to save them all, he escapes with the youngest--a baby--and returns to Buxton a hero.
Synopsis
Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just over the border from Detroit. He's best known in his hometown as the boy who made a memorable impression on Frederick Douglass. But things change when a former slave steals money from Elijah's friend, who has been saving to buy his family out of captivity in the South. Elijah embarks on a dangerous journey to America in pursuit of the thief, and he discovers firsthand the unimaginable horrors of the life his parents fled -- a life from which he'll always be free, if he can find the courage to get back home.
Synopsis
A heartwarming coming-of-age story set in the rural South. With her friend Missy Violet away in Florida, Viney has big shoes to fill. While there are ailing neighbors to comfort, Vineys favorite teacher has left school—and Vineys irrepressible cousin Charles continues his mischief-making. Through short, powerful vignettes and letters between Missy Violet, Viney, and others, the day-to-day happenings in this warm southern town come to life.
About the Author
Barbara Hathaway was born in Harlem, New York. Missy Violet and Me is based on the recollections of her mother, who often spoke glowingly of a relative who served as midwife to the southern community she grew up in during the 1930s. Barbara lives in Westchester County with her family. Missy Violet and Me is her second book for Houghton Mifflin Books for Children.