“I'm-a find Zephariah and shoot him down for stealing my dreams of getting my family back. Those are the words of a free former slave in Buxton, Canada. This book, Elijah of Buxton, is about a free slave settlement and a boy who tries to help his friend's family. Overall, this is a good book, but it has some things that I don't really like.

Eleven-year-old Elijah is the first child born into freedom in Buxton, Canada, a settlement of runaway slaves just above 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 home.

This book is similar to Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor. Both books are about African-American families who are free from slavery. They are different because one is based in 1860, and the other is based in the 1930's.

One good thing about this book is the story. You can always tell what's going on. Another thing is the characters. They are very unique. Also, the dialect is good because that way you know where they are.

There is only one bad thing about this book. Some parts of the story are very sad and depressing, and I don't like books like that.

Overall, this is a good book and I recommend it to anyone who likes historical fiction.