Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is the story of a motherless young boy “on the lam” from an orphanage and undesirable foster home searching for the man he believes to be his father. After being placed in a bad foster home Bud decides to go “on the lam” in search of his father during the Depression.
The story includes sleeping alone under a tree at the library, a stay in Hooverville, hitchhiking, and talking his way into meeting the man he believes to be his father. He must repeatedly explain his name is Bud, not Buddy and is determined to keep his battered suitcase with him at all cost. The suitcase contains his mementoes of his mother and the clues to finding his father.
The story contains ageless boy humor while depicting the grim reality of his life. “Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself” are used repeatedly through the book when Bud needs to stop and take stock of his situation. Bud’s continued optimism in the face of obstacles leads the reader from one incident to the next
For me, this book was a page-turner. I could not wait to find out what happened next and how Bud was going to handle it. I liked Bud and his humor and the kindness he found in unexpected moments.
This book is a 2000 Newbery Award Winner. I would recommend this book to students in grades 4-6.
Keywords: Depression, orphanage, Hooverville, persistence,
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