The Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning classic about a boy who decides to hit the road to find his father--from Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963 , a Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree.
It's 1936, in Flint Michigan. Times may be hard, and ten-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy on the run, but Bud's got a few things going for him:
1. He has his own suitcase full of special things.
2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself .
3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers advertising Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!!!!!
Bud's got an idea that those flyers will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road to find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself.
AN ALA BEST BOOK FOR YOUNG ADULTS
AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK
AN IRA CHILDREN'S BOOK AWARD WINNER
NAMED TO 14 STATE AWARD LISTS
"The book is a gem, of value to all ages, not just the young people to whom it is aimed." -- The Christian Science Monitor
"Will keep readers engrossed from first page to last." -- Publishers Weekly , Starred
"Curtis writes with a razor-sharp intelligence that grabs the reader by the heart and never lets go. . . . This highly recommended title [is] at the top of the list of books to be read again and again." -- Voice of Youth Advocates , Starred
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lms
May 07, 2008
"when 10-year-old Bud Caldwell runs away from his new home, he realizes he has nowhere to go but to search for the father he has never known: a legendary musician advertised on some old posters his deceased mother had kept. A friendly stranger picks him up on the road in the middle of the night and deposits him in Grand Rapids, MI, with Herman E. Calloway and his jazz band, but the man Bud was convinced was his father turns out to be old, cold, and cantankery. Luckily, the band members are more welcoming; they take him in, put him to work, and begin to teach him to play an instrument. In a Victorian ending, Bud uses the rocks he has treasured from his childhood to prove his surprising relationship with Mr. Calloway. The lively humor contrasts with the grim details of the Depression-era setting and the particular difficulties faced by African Americans at the time." (Novelist Review)
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Add a CommentBud, Not Buddy is a book about a foster kid who ditches his home and looks for his 'father'. I didn't enjoy this book as much as others. I like any action, which there was almost none of in this book. However, there is a lot of funny parts!
Bud is not a book I would normally read. It came highly recommended by KHCPL_Mikayla and for good reason. Bud is a funny, heart-warming character who hasn't let life get him down. He has this optimistic yet realistic outlook on life and pulls you into his drama with a smile on your face. I am putting this aside to re-read with my oldest in a couple of years. Bud will be a great read for boys, especially.
This middle grades novel, winner of both the Coretta Scott King Award and the John Newbery Medal, follows the journey of ten-year-old Bud, who runs away from his foster home in search of his father. Bud lost his mother when he was 6, but he never lost the upbringing she gave him. Bud is notable for his tenacity, his introspectiveness, and his impeccable manners. Several of the characters in the novel are loosely based on Curtis’s ancestors, and he manages to realistically capture the heartbreaking challenges people experienced during the Great Depression without making the story depressing or sad.
The book was given a Newberry medal for a reason. It was also very accurate for the time period. Bud, Not Buddy is a very depressing book at first. There is some abuse and, him being an orphan, it has a sad backstory. But Bud's fun and sometimes hilarious commentary adds life to the depressing (literally, this is set in the depression) setup. Bud's adventure is exciting and often dangerous. But Bud always finds his way out of problems, and manages to survive on his own. A very good read. Without any spoilers, the ending is honestly kind of confusing and sad, and I want to see where the author takes it from here. But otherwise, the book was good and I recommend it.
I liked this book even better than Curtis' other Newbery Medal winner, The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963. Bud is a feisty ten-year-old orphan growing up in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression. While escaping an abusive foster home, Bud encounters kindness in unusual places. Highly recommended for kids who are interested in history and social justice issues.
This book was one of the best books I've ever read. I really enjoyed this book and it has a great theme. This book also has amazing characters and settings. I really enjoyed this book, and I hope you do too.
Winner of the 2000 Newbery medal, this is the story of an African-American boy (named Bud, surprise surprise) in 1930s Michigan. Not a lot of action to hold kids' interest but a good, vivid depiction of a different era and its attendant racial issues, with some lovely characters.
This is a really good book because it shows really good emotion and courage. It shows courage because a kid named Buddy is so determined to find his father he won't let anything stop him. But it turns out his dad is someone who he thinks it is.
Darned interesting, and it made a good read-aloud, as well. Bud is quite a determined little cuss, and the times and places he lived in are enlightening to read about.
is this book good ?? because i have to read it and i just wanted to ask somebody is this book good