Book Summary:
Bud has been living in and out of orphanages and foster care homes after the death of his mother. He has never met his father and the only clue to who his father may be is a flyer that his mother had of a jazz band, Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators. After being locked in a shed at a foster home for false accusations made by the foster parent's biological son Bud decides that he is done with foster homes and orphanages, and it is time to set out looking for his father. He sets out with his suitcase that contains all of his possessions: a picture of his mother, stones his mother kept and treasured, the blue flyer with the information about who Bud believes is his father, and a blanket. He attempts to jump onto a train to make the trip out of Flint, but after the authorities try to sneak the train out early Bud is not able to make it onto the train and is forced to return to Flint to the mission to get something to eat. Since he was not able to make it onto the train he decides to try walking the 120 miles to Grand Rapids, Michigan. He sets off and soon finds himself outside of Flint and in the country, in the dark, where there are all sorts of strange noises. He decides that he may need to hide from passing cars, but Lefty Lewis sees him while driving and stops the car to help Bud. Bud attempts to steal Mr. Lewis's car, but doesn't make if far before the car stalls and Mr. Lewis is able to catch up to Bud, and is able to convince him to roll down the car window so they can talk. After Bud is satisfied that Mr. Lewis is not a vampire the two set off back to Flint to a hospital to deliver blood that he is transporting. During this time Bud tells Mr. Lewis that his mother is dead and that is father is Herman E. Calloway and Bud is surprised to learn that Mr. Lewis knows of his father. After delivering the blood and resting for the night, Mr. Lewis brings Bud to Grands Rapids and to the club where Herman E. Calloway is practicing with his band. Bud announces that he is looking for his father, Herman E. Calloway, and the band begin asking him questions about his mother, family, and life to try to determine what is going on. Mr. Calloway denies that he is Bud's father, but he allows the band member Jimmy to continue talking to Bud to determine exactly what is going on. As the band and Bud go to lunch at a restaurant Bud is introduced to Miss Thomas, the band's singer. She begins asking question of Bud and after learning of the treatment he received at the orphanages and foster homes she decides to bring him back to "Grand Calloway Station", Mr. Calloway's home. Mr. Calloway wants to take Bud back to the orphanage in Flint, but Miss Thomas believes that Bud is telling the truth. After working with the band and traveling with them, Bud finally learns the significance of his mother's stones and both he and Mr. Calloway soon learn that they are related, but not in the way that Bud originally believed. Mr. Calloway is his grandfather not his father, Bud's mother was Mr. Calloway's daughter who had run away from home after a fight with her father. Everyone in the band is devastated by the news of Bud's mother's death, but they begin to fully accept Bud as part of their family.
APA Reference of Book:
Curtis , C. (1999). Bud, not Buddy. New York, NY: Delacorte Press.
Impressions:
This book is a great way for students to get a deeper understanding of the Great Depression and how this time affected everyone and African Americans in particular. This story transforms the facts that students learn from the pages of a history book into a personal account of how the life of a boy was affected by this time. Bud has to face many things that most children do not have to face, and he shows courage throughout the many different situations that he is faced with. Readers of any race will be able to learn from Bud and his courage and determination that are shown throughout this book, and will enjoy a great story line that ends with a twist.
Professional Review:
Christopher Paul Curtis's Newbery Medal-winning Bud, Not Buddy (Delacorte, $15.95, 245 pp., age ten and up) is another novel radiant with charm, as embodied in a narrator just ready to exit childhood. The ten-year-old African-American Bud Caldwell is in flight from his Depression-era orphanage and latest abusive foster home. He sets out by foot from Flint, Michigan, in search of his father, who he believes is the legendary band leader Herman Calloway. With his goofy coping strategies, delayed epiphanies, and sweet impulses, Bud seems an utterly authentic boy. Because Curtis has created a perfectly rendered character rather than a sociological fact, he conveys, without a drop of the dreary or the maudlin, the loneliness, fear, and grief with which Bud has lived since his mother's death. Curtis also masterfully unfolds a portrait of the black working class in the Depression. And he beautifully captures the divide between young children and concerned adults, which sometimes, by great effort and grace, is bridged.
Donnelly, D. (2000, April 07). Hey! harry potter has cousins!. Commonweal, 127(7), Retrieved from http://www.cweal.org/
Library Uses:
For Black History month, February, have a display table to display this book as well as other winners of the Coretta Scott King Award for African American authors and illustrators. Include information about the Award and the requirements of the award in the display, and have this set up in main area of the library close to the young adult section, but not strictly within the young adult section.
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