Curtis,
Christopher Paul. Bud, Not Buddy. Delacorte
Press, New York, 1999. 242 pages. Tr. Pbk.
$5.99 ISBN 0440413281
Plot
Description:
Ten year old Bud has been living in foster homes and
orphanages in Flint, Michigan since his mother passed away four years
earlier. After running away from his
latest foster home, Bud decides to set out to find his father. Bud’s mother never told him who his father
is, but she left behind a number of flyers for the musician Herman E. Calloway
of Grand Rapids, Michigan and Bud is sure this was his mother’s way of telling
him who is father is. But finding one’s
way to Grand Rapids in 1936 is easier said than done, especially when you are
an orphan on the run. Bud must brave
vampires and battle hunger to find his way to Grand Rapids and meet his father.
Review:
Christopher Paul Curtis’s Bud, Not Buddy is a touching and humorous novel about one young man’s
quest to find his family. Bud has know a
lot of misfortune in his short life, having lost his mother at age six and
enduring abusive foster homes, but Bud is a resilient young boy and never gives
up on the idea of family. Bud never
feels sorry for himself in the novel and is quick to thank anyone who helps
him, knowing that no one has much to give during the Depression. Not only does Curtis create a lovable and
memorable character in Bud, but he also gives readers a glimpse at the
hopelessness of the Depression, describing the long food lines and the sad Hoovervilles
bordering most cities at the time.
Genre:
Historical Fiction
Multicultural Fiction
Reading
Level/Interest Level:
Grades 4-6
Similar
Books:
Al
Capone Does My Shirts Gennifer Choldenko
The
Mighty Miss Malone Christopher Paul Curtis
Awards/Honors:
ALA Notable Book 2000
Coretta Scott King Book Award 2000
Newbery Award Winner 2000
YALSA Best Books for Young Adults 2000
Author’s
Website:
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