Bud, Not Buddy [Mass Market Paperback]

Christopher Paul Curtis (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: 4 and up

It’s 1936, in Flint, Michigan, and when 10-year-old Bud decides to hit the road to find his father, nothing can stop him.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"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

As in his Newbery Honor-winning debut, The Watsons Go to BirminghamA1963, Curtis draws on a remarkable and disarming mix of comedy and pathos, this time to describe the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. Bud is fed up with the cruel treatment he has received at various foster homes, and after being locked up for the night in a shed with a swarm of angry hornets, he decides to run away. His goal: to reach the man heAon the flimsiest of evidenceAbelieves to be his father, jazz musician Herman E. Calloway. Relying on his own ingenuity and good luck, Bud makes it to Grand Rapids, where his "father" owns a club. Calloway, who is much older and grouchier than Bud imagined, is none too thrilled to meet a boy claiming to be his long-lost son. It is the other members of his bandASteady Eddie, Mr. Jimmy, Doug the Thug, Doo-Doo Bug Cross, Dirty Deed Breed and motherly Miss ThomasAwho make Bud feel like he has finally arrived home. While the grim conditions of the times and the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis shines on them an aura of hope and optimism. And even when he sets up a daunting scenario, he makes readers laughAfor example, mopping floors for the rejecting Calloway, Bud pretends the mop is "that underwater boat in the book Momma read to me, Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea." Bud's journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last. Ages 9-12. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf; 1 edition (September 14, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553494104
• ISBN-13: 978-0553494105
• Product Dimensions: 4.4 x 0.8 x 6.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (517 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,220 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #3 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Social Issues > Runaways
  • #7 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > People & Places > Family Life > Parents
  • #10 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Teens > Literature & Fiction > Adventure & Thrillers

More About the Author

Photo © 2003 James Keyser
author spotlight
"To me the highest accolade comes when a young reader tells me, 'I really liked your book.' The young seem to be able to say 'really' with a clarity, a faith, and an honesty that we as adults have long forgotten. That is why I write."--Christopher Paul Curtis

Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children's literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963. His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint's historic Fisher Body Plant # 1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles--particularly big Buicks.

With grandfathers like Earl "Lefty" Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 tells the story of 10-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan, and their unforgettable journey that leads them into one of the darkest moments in American history. It is by turns a hilarious, touching, and tragic story about civil rights and the impact of violence on one family.

Curtis's novel Bud, Not Buddy focuses on 10-year-old Bud Caldwell, who hits the road in search of his father and his home. Times may be hard in 1936 Flint, Michigan, but orphaned Bud's got a few things going for him; he believes his mother left a clue of who his father was--and nothing can stop Bud from trying to find him.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

55 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A second Newbery for C. P. Curtis, January 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Bud, Not Buddy (Hardcover)

When I read this book last fall, I knew it was a winner. Bud, not Buddy, is an unforgettable character. The tale of a young boy who doesn't let the circumstances of being black during the Depression keep him down is as pertinent today as it was then. It's message is if you have a dream & are willing to work to make it happen, you can rise above even the most humble beginnings and it's told with humor and hope.

47 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bud Not Buddy, January 26, 2000

By 

D. B. Bunting (Birmingham, Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bud, Not Buddy (Hardcover)

After finishing my 2nd Christopher Paul Curtis novel, I am hooked. It is ok that I am a 50-something mom of an 11 year old girl, we both loved The Watsons Go to Birmingham and were very happy to find this Newbery winner even more entertaining, profound, historically educational and a downright pleasure to read. This writer understands not just children but clever, one-step-ahead of the grownups-children, and he makes them lovable, polite in spite of circumstances that could lead to not so appealing behavior, brave, sensitive and SMART. This is a MUST read for all ages.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Newberry/Coretta Scott King Award Winner!, January 31, 2000

By 

Ruth Clay (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bud, Not Buddy (Hardcover)

You will want to adopt Bud (Not Buddy) after the first page! This book speaks to all ages, even if you're 44, like me. Pay close attention to Bud's "Rules and Things"; sound advice from such a young man! And if you ever get the opportunity to hear Christopher Paul Curtis speak in person, don't pass up the chance! I didn't and I am so fortunate to have done so. After you've read "Bud", be sure to get "The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963". You won't be disappointed -you'll be enchanted.