Bud, Not Buddy: Summary and book reviews of Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, plus links to an excerpt from Bud, Not Buddy and a biography of Christopher Paul Curtis.

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: He has his own suitcase filled with his own important, secret things.   He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself.   His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: flyers of 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 and find this mystery man, nothing can stop him--not hunger, not fear, not vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself. Bud, Not Buddy is full of laugh-out-loud humor and wonderful characters, hitting the high notes of jazz and sounding the deeper tones of the Great Depression. Once again Christopher Paul Curtis, author of the award-winning novel The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, takes readers on a heartwarming and unforgettable journey.

Media Reviews

Booklist Told in the boy's naive, desperate voice, with lots of examples of his survival tactics... this will make a great read-aloud. Curtis says in an afterword that some of the characters are based on real people, including his own grandfathers, so it's not surprising that the rich blend of tall tale, slapstick, sorrow, and sweetness has the wry, teasing warmth of family folklore.   School Library Journal The lively humor contrasts with the grim details of the Depression-era setting and the particular difficulties faced by African Americans at that time. Bud is a plucky, engaging protagonist. ...[R]eaders will be so caught up in the adventure that they won't mind. Curtis has given a fresh, new look to a traditional orphan-finds-a-home story that would be a crackerjack read-aloud. Grades 4-7.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by catelynn
bud not buddy
Out of all the books I have read this book is one of the best books. I highly recommend it to others.

Rated of 5 by Randi
Bud, Not Buddy
Great Book!

Rated of 5 by Hannah
Bud not Buddy
Wonderful, spectacular, hopeful, and magnificent! A story of hope and adventure. Humorous and lively.

Rated of 5 by bonique
great
This book is the best book I ever read. I love it. It makes me want to read it again

Rated of 5 by carina
The review of bud not buddy
I like this book because Bud to find his family and he goes on a lot of journeys.

Rated of 5 by Brianna
WHAT I THINK!
I read this book with my class and I have to admit, it started off kind of tiring, but as my class and I got farther and farther along, it became much more interesting!

...46 More Reader Reviews

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Books with similar themes

• Children's Books Ages 9 up
  
• USA 
  
• Midwest 
  
• Ind. Mich. Ohio 
  
• 1920s & '30s 
  
• African American Authors & Leads 
  
• Humor & Satire