BUD, NOT BUDDY

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2006. BUD, NOT BUDDY. James Avery (Narrator)
Audio CD Publisher: Listening Library (Audio); Unabridged edition ISBN-10: 0739331795 ISBN-13: 978-0739331798

Delacorte Books for Young Readers (September 7, 1999) ISBN-10: 0385323069 ISBN-13: 978-0385323062

PLOT
Young Bud has been an orphan for four years. He has lived in the home since he was six. Foster families haven't worked out. The most recent, Amos family had locked him in a shed with hornets and fish heads. Lucky for Bud he was able to make a run for it with his cardboard suitcase that held all his treasured belongings. On the lamb, Bud decides to find his father and a place that he belongs. He follows the clues on the pamphlets that were his mothers and had always made her sad. Bud was sure the man in the pamphlet with the huge fiddle must be his father. Walking alone at 2:30 in the morning on the way to Grand Rapids Michigan, Bud meets Lefty, a Red Cap with the railroad on a delivery to the hospital. Bud suspects that Lefty is a vampire, why else would he be carring around a box of fresh blood? Bud's luck is improving, Lefty is OK and even knows the man that Bud is looking for.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The audio recording by James Avery was very expressive and entertaining. I would recommend it for reluctant reader's as well as traveler's and anyone needing an audio book. The writing by Curtis of a young orphaned African American boy was very engaging. The story is told in an uplifting style that has made Bud, Not Buddy a classic. The fictional character's of Lefty and Herman Calloway are based on the author's own grandfather's. The career's of the men were representative of the times in the 1930's for fortunate black men. The Hooverville era of camps for the poor is explained in the story. Bud makes the best of his hard times with a survivors spirit. The book is recommended for 8-12, but will be enjoyed by all ages.

REVIEWS
Amazon.com
"It's funny how ideas are, in a lot of ways they're just like seeds. Both of them start real, real small and then... woop, zoop, sloop... before you can say Jack Robinson, they've gone and grown a lot bigger than you ever thought they could." So figures scrappy 10-year-old philosopher Bud--"not Buddy"--Caldwell, an orphan on the run from abusive foster homes and Hoovervilles in 1930s Michigan. And the idea that's planted itself in his head is that Herman E. Calloway, standup-bass player for the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, is his father.
Guided only by a flier for one of Calloway's shows--a small, blue poster that had mysteriously upset his mother shortly before she died--Bud sets off to track down his supposed dad, a man he's never laid eyes on. And, being 10, Bud-not-Buddy gets into all sorts of trouble along the way, barely escaping a monster-infested woodshed, stealing a vampire's car, and even getting tricked into "busting slob with a real live girl." Christopher Paul Curtis, author of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, once again exhibits his skill for capturing the language and feel of an era and creates an authentic, touching, often hilarious voice in little Bud. (Ages 8 to 12) --Paul Hughes --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly
A 10-year-old boy in Depression-era Michigan sets out to find the man he believes to be his father. "While the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis imbues them with an aura of hope, and he makes readers laugh even when he sets up the most daunting scenarios," said PW in our Best Books citation. Ages 9-12.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

CONNECTIONS

*Read other books by Curtis

Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2000. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
Laurel Leaf. ISBN-10: 044022800X
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 2006. Bucking the Sarge. Laurel Leaf; Reprint edition ISBN-10: 0440413311

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