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Bud, Not Buddy

by Christopher Paul Curtis

3.81 · rating details · 15,351 ratings · 1,421 reviews

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.

Mass Market Paperback, 272 pages

Published September 14th 2004 by Laurel Leaf (first published January 1999)

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Jul 13, 2011

Linda Lipko rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: newbery-winner, young-adult

Christopher Paul Curtis did it again! In writing this 2000 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King award-winning book, he wove another magical, enchanting, complex, well crafted and spell binding tale filled with poignancy, sadness and laughter while teaching history in a captivating way.

I've raved about this author before, so please indulge my obsession one more time in encouraging you to take a few hours of solitude to savor every word, phrase and nuance of this incredible writer.

...moreChristopher Paul Curtis did it again! In writing this 2000 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King award-winning book, he wove another magical, enchanting, complex, well crafted and spell binding tale filled with poignancy, sadness and laughter while teaching history in a captivating way.

I've raved about this author before, so please indulge my obsession one more time in encouraging you to take a few hours of solitude to savor every word, phrase and nuance of this incredible writer.

What's in a name? The answer is a tremendous asset and sole identity to Bud, NOT Buddy! As a ten year old orphan in 1936 hard-hit depression filled Flint, Michigan, Bud has little else. Four years ago his beloved mother died, leaving him is name and a few possessions he guards with his life.

The sum total of his existence is held in a raggle taggle suitcase he lugs from one orphanage or foster home to another. The string-bound cardboard container holds some rocks with dates painted upon them, a photo of his mama as a child riding a pony, and a few fliers listing a jazz group led by Herman E. Calloway.

When the last foster home experience culminated in a beating and fearful night of imprisonment in a back yard shack, Buddy knows he has had enough! Believing that his mother kept the fliers for a reason and that his unknown father must be Herman E. Calloway, Buddy runs away from Flint to Grand Rapids, seeking love and a home to call his own.

Christopher Paul Curtis masterfully writes about such complex issues as homelessness, poverty, racism, cruelty and poverty.

Living in a cardboard Hooverville community for a few days, Bud meets likable, down and out characters. Finally reaching his destination and claiming his identity to the great jazz artist Mr. Calloway and The Dusky Devastators of the Depression, leads to unexpected discoveries for all with quite a surprising ending.

I loved this book! I loved the spunky, determination of Bud, the complexity of the characters, the historical backdrop of the jazz age and the skillful depiction of a bleak period of time in American history.

Five Stars!!!!(less)

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Nov 30, 2009

Amanda rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: historical-fiction, middle-grade, scary

When Bud Caldwell decides to run away from his most recent foster family in Depression-era Michigan, he has no destination in mind. After a few days (and a failed attempt to hop a train), he realizes that the only place he knows to go is Grand Rapids, Michigan, to look up the man that he is convinced is his father. Unfortunately Herman E. Calloway, a famous jazz musician, has no interest in taking care of a 10-year-old orphan who could not possibly be his son. Bud lands on his feet, though, than...more

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Dec 02, 2008

Lstirl rated it

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On an adventure to find a family, Bud charms and moves the reader with both his fortitude and wit.

Ages 9-12

This is a very moving and heartwarming book. The adventurous nature of the book will appeal to children, as will the optimistic and humorous protagonist, Bud. Along his journey to find a family, Bud meets many interesting and well-presented characters, such as the mouth organ playing man at "Hooverville," his friend, Bugs, and Miss Thomas. While the ...more

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Jun 25, 2008

Rebecca Edwards rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: audio, historical-fiction, young-adult, read2008

This was no The Watsons Go to Birmingham. Just a little too predictable. But it's powerfully told, and Curtis has the rare ability to get inside the head of his young narrators. Especially smart, sassy, sensitive little boys... Bud is definitely a winner.

Audiobook minuses:
While younger readers might find them really funny, these two things drove me CRazy. Especially trapped in the car wishing my eyes could glaze over a line or two.
1)The slang seemed vaguely era-appropria...more

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Mar 26, 2009

David Sof 2014 rated it

· review of another edition

Bud, Not Buddy is a book by Christopher paul Curtis. It is about an lonely african boy who is a orphan looking for this dad with only a slight amount of clues to seek him. His mother was sick and she died. Bud was sent to a place called the Home. His mother gave him some of what hes father was and he learned he was in a jazz band and more. So he gets out of the place and the search had begun.

I can connect this to the world and other books of Orphans never knowing what their parents...more

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Feb 17, 2009

Lisa Martin rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: children ages 9-14

Recommended to Lisa by: my librarian

Bud, Not Buddy is about a little boy who is growing up in a tough time of the Depression. Bud being black and motherless doesn’t help him during the story. All Bud had was his worldly possessions packed in a raggedy old suitcase. But the most important possession is a blue flyer that his mother got upset over and Bud was sure that, Herman E. Calloway, the man on it was his father. After running away from his abusive foster family, Bud decides to set out to find Herman E. Calloway. Bud has quite ...more

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Jan 15, 2009

Ash R. rated it

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Shelves: 7th-grade-ir-books-sadelle

Bud, Not Buddy is a tense book that took place during the Great Depression. It is about an Orphan thats an African Boy looking for this father with only few clues of finding him. He use to live with his mother all his life, but after his mother got sick for awhile, she dies and Bud is sent to "The Home". His mother did tell him his father was in a jazz band and Bud escaped and was on his way to look for his dad.

I can make a text to world connection to Bud trying to find his ...more

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Nov 20, 2008

Jacquelyn Higgins rated it

· review of another edition

Genre: Historical fiction Reading level: Ages 9-12
A young boy decides to run away from his foster home and travel across country in search of a man he believes to be his father. His only knowledge of this elusive figure lies in his most precious possessions, a handful of flyers that his mother held dear featuring a musician in a series of jazz bands. Bud uses his wit, humor, and his “Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself”. Food and jobs may ...more

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Dec 11, 2011

Cat rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: library264

Title: Bud, not Buddy
Author: Christopher Paul Curtis
Year: 2004
ISBN: 9780385323062)
Type: Book
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age:9 to 13
Length/Pages: 256
Publisher/studio: Delacorte Books for Young Readers

Annotation/Teaser: Bud a ten years old boy, without parents and a home he is searching for home
Plot:
Bud Caldwell is 10 years old boy living in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression. When his mother dies, now, an orphan, h...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Ashton Livsey rated it

· review of another edition

Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary: Bud is a young orphan, in Michigan, who runs away to find his true family. He uses his own set of rules and his suitcase full of his prize possessions to find his way.
Critique: a) This book succeeds because of it’s wonderful, descriptive, and different characters.
The characters in this story range from young, brave children dealing with the effects of the depression to older, wise-cracking, band members. Each character that Bud runs in to, is...more

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Nov 07, 2011

Kelley rated it

· review of another edition

Critique- Junior Book/Newbury Medal Winner/Coretta Scott King Award Winner

This story takes place during the Great Depression and follows a young boy named Bud, who lost his mother and has been in the foster care system for several years. The story follows Bud as he is looking for a man he believes to be his father, and a place to call home.

a. Setting
b. The setting in the story is Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression. This element was almost like another chara...more

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Nov 06, 2011

Sara Hannon added it · review of another edition

1. Historical Fiction

2. This book tells the story of Bud - never to be called "Buddy" - a young orphan during the depression. The book shows Bud's journey to find his father, which ends when he finds what he was really looking for: family.

3. The strength of Bud, Not Buddy lies in the point of view. The whole story is told from Bud's point of view, how he sees the world, not how someone would see it form the outside. This is great because it really draws the rea...more1. Historical Fiction

2. This book tells the story of Bud - never to be called "Buddy" - a young orphan during the depression. The book shows Bud's journey to find his father, which ends when he finds what he was really looking for: family.

3. The strength of Bud, Not Buddy lies in the point of view. The whole story is told from Bud's point of view, how he sees the world, not how someone would see it form the outside. This is great because it really draws the reader in to the story, puts them in Bud's shoes. This adds a unique layer to the story, as we get Bud's perspective on everything, and we get little asides as to how he felt about a certain situation and his rules pop up periodically, just as if he was remembering the word. This also contributes to a little addition that isn't always noticeable when reading: the language. Where most people would write "I drank the soda quickly and ate the apple slowly" and in Bud, Not Buddy, it says "I real quick chugged the rest of the pop and ate the apple real slow" (pg. 114). Even the parts of the story that are not dialog have Bud's flavor, his mark on them. Even the way things are described is from his perspective, which is occasionally unreliable, noted by how he keeps calling Herman's bass a "giant fiddle". One of the best examples of this is on page 202 when Bud is describing the sounds of the band as they play, describing the bass and drums as "a soft steady beat, like someone's heart turned way up loud." It is such a child-like way to think of the baseline of a song. Most of the book is like that, we do not see things through the eyes of an adult narrator telling a child's story, we see things through the eyes of ten-year-old Bud, so if he wants to call a bass a "giant fiddle" then that is what it is.

4. This book is a must-read for learning about the depression. Instead of the traditional dust-bowl poor farmer or the tough times in New York City, we learn about a young African American child in Michigan. It puts a whole new spin on depression literature, as it adds a new perspective. It is also a good book to learn about point of view as it is clearly a first-person point of view narrative. Not only is everything told by Bud, it sounds like him, which gives a very clear picture of what first-person point of view is all about. It also opens up a discussion about when Bud is being a reliable narrator and when he is being unreliable, because there are parts where he clearly knows exactly what is going on, and other parts where he may be less sure, but is telling you what he thinks anyway. (less)

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Nov 06, 2011

Angelina rated it

· review of another edition

1. Historical Fiction
2. Bud is an orphan who is placed in a new foster home; after realizing he is in an abusive situation, he runs away. This book is about Bud’s journey, with the people he meets along the way, as he goes from Flint, Michigan to Grand Rapids in search of his father.
3. A. Accuracy
B. In the afterword, Christopher Paul Curtis states, “Although Bud, Not Buddy is fictional, many of the situations Bud encounters are based on events that occurred in the 1930s, d...more

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Nov 04, 2011

Ashley rated it

· review of another edition

1. Historical Fiction
2. Bud (not Buddy!) is a black orphan, struggling through the hardships life in the depression hands to all. Through his travels in search of his mysterious father, he finds friendship and even hope. There are trains to catch and meals to find, but this young boy is stronger than the world gives him credit. In this adventure the young boy takes a wild ride (and I'm not talking about the train) that transforms his life from orphan to family member and from lost to fo...more

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Nov 03, 2011

Katlyn Campbell rated it

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1. Genre: Historical Fiction
2. Summary: This title is about a young African American boy named Bud, not Buddy. Bud is an orphan, his mother died at the age of six, and he is determined that his mother left him with the clues to find his father. Bud decides to leave his home, town, and terrible foster parents to make the journey in which he knows he will meet his father.
3. Critique:
a. I believe the best part of this book is the language use or dialogue of Bud.
b. The way...more

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Sep 16, 2011

Leah rated it

· review of another edition

I fell in love with Bud, not Buddy within the first chapter. The way Christopher Paul Curtis relates his characters to true life situations is masterful. Even though the story takes place during the Great Depression, the reader should have no problem creating the images in their mind as they read. Curtis weaves a fantastic tale of the struggles and triumphs of ten year old Bud in his story. The events, although sometimes a bit extravagant, are imaginative and believable at the same time. Th...more

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Sep 15, 2011

Jessica rated it

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Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Curtis was a very entertaining, heart-warming, and humorous young adult novel. Ten-year-old Bud has gone through many hardships most people will never have to deal with in their entire life. Although the style of this story was depressing at times, it showed a very mature side to Bud. Bud used very distinct language, that of a ten-year-old, yet the ideas he expresses throughout the story are very realistic and mature for his age. Throughout the story he manages to g...more

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Sep 15, 2011

Kristen rated it

· review of another edition

Would you be able to survive the Depression on your own? Ten- year- old Bud is searching for his father after running away from his foster home during the Great Depression. Christopher Paul Curtis adds many humerous adventures to a serious topic matter. This is a good mutlicultural, Newbery Award winning book to read.
Bud, not Buddy is a good book for learning about people during the 1930's. It is an entertaing story with a history lesson embedded into it. This is not the type of b...more

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Sep 04, 2011

Melanie Soble rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: read-for-libs-642

1. The genre where you believe it belongs
This book falls into the category of a junior book, historical fiction.
2. a brief one or two sentence summary of the content
Set during the depression era, Bud Caldwell is a boy who is struggling to survive. Orphaned after his mother died unexpectedly, Bud is a boy who has learned to control his emotions to try to give people what they expect. We follow Bud’s story as he left his foster family to create a life of his own. He keeps hi...more1. The genre where you believe it belongs
This book falls into the category of a junior book, historical fiction.
2. a brief one or two sentence summary of the content
Set during the depression era, Bud Caldwell is a boy who is struggling to survive. Orphaned after his mother died unexpectedly, Bud is a boy who has learned to control his emotions to try to give people what they expect. We follow Bud’s story as he left his foster family to create a life of his own. He keeps his suitcase full of mementos to remind him that he was once loved.
3. critique (using the a, b, c format, please)
a. The best part about this story was the emotions that the author evoked. Bud became part of your heart – and you find yourself rooting for him. Any book that can make me cry is one that should be read.
b. Bud was one of those characters who the reader has to love. This love is not based on the color of his skin or the great feats that he has accomplished, but his perseverance. Bud continues through his obstacles and remains a loveable character. Meanwhile, readers get a small glimpse of what life was like during this era.
c. How does the author make you fall in love with Bud? Whenever Bud comes across a horrible situation, he is not written as a boy who dwells on the negative. Often, “Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself” are pulled out to highlight how funny and transparent adults can be. Little sayings can be interpreted and categorized as Bud does throughout the story. His situation is also one that evokes sympathy. His mother is gone, he is living during the depression, and he feels as though no one cares about him. No one does care about him, but he finds his own way.
4. a curriculum connection
This book can be related to the Virginia Standards of Learning USII.6d. Often students do not study this until middle school, but this book would be a great preparation for that study. To introduce the book earlier, the book can be related to the Language Arts curriculum as a historical novel.
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Aug 22, 2011

Leah Middleberg rated it

· review of another edition

I liked Bud Not Buddy. I liked how you got to see how Bud got around the country on search of his father by doing things I would never be brave enough to do. I also really liked how you were expecting something to happen in the book and then being completely surprised. I think the message of the book was that when you're focused on one thing so much you may be surprised when you reach your goal. Also never give up, and always stand up for yourself. The setting was all over the place. But the way...more

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Aug 14, 2011

Zakiah Hines rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: children without a parent

Recommended to Zakiah by: Aunt

In the book Bud not Buddy Bud's mom died when he was six years old. Bud then went to live in an orphanage. Before his mom died one thing she told him is "never let anyone call you Buddy, Buddy is a dog's name". That's where the book received its title "Bud Not Buddy". Now Bud is ten years old and is in a foster home. The foster family doesn't believe anything Bud has to say over their son even when they know he is wrong. Bud was locked in a shed because of him and stung by ...more

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Aug 01, 2011

Andrea added it

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis, the 2000 Newbery Award Winner. I finished this fantastic book a few days ago and meant to write a wonderful entry all about it, but seizures happened and now my memory of the story is a bit spotty and the entry I had outlined is disappeared from my memory banks, so apologies if this isn't up to my usual standard. Spoilers ahead, of course!

Bud (not Buddy, natch) is the main character. He's been an orphan for four years, spending most of his time in the ...more

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Jul 29, 2011

Peachy rated it

My ten year old niece had read Bud, Not Buddy, recently, at school, and as I’m always interested to know what it is she’s being taught, I decided to pick it up. At first I was discouraged by the book as it seemed to deal with a rather depressing story of a young orphan during the depression era, who was acting out revenge upon a foster family that had mistreated him. While making a mental note to explain to her the errors of vengeful retribution, I continued on and was soon pleasantly surprise...more

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Mar 15, 2011

Dan Fleming rated it

· review of another edition

This book was funny and sad there were parts that made me laugh and parts that made me mad. I thought Bud’s rules were hilarious, and his friend Bugs was too. I could not stand the racism of the police in this book or the way the new found grandfather treated Bud at first. This book has so much you can do with it. You can incorporate mad reading skills by having the students track the distance Bud traveled in search of his father. This book was set in during the Great Depression, a history ...moreThis book was funny and sad there were parts that made me laugh and parts that made me mad. I thought Bud’s rules were hilarious, and his friend Bugs was too. I could not stand the racism of the police in this book or the way the new found grandfather treated Bud at first. This book has so much you can do with it. You can incorporate mad reading skills by having the students track the distance Bud traveled in search of his father. This book was set in during the Great Depression, a history lesson could be intergraded dealing with President Hoover and the why shanty towns or Hoovervilles were popping up everywhere. This would also be a great book to read during February for Black History Month. The book is about a ten-year-old Bud Caldwell, an orphan living in Flint, Michigan in 1936 during the Great Depression. Since the death of his mother, four years earlier, Bud has been living in an orphanage, as well as short stints in several foster homes. All he has of his mother are a bag of rocks, a photograph of his mother as a child, and five concert bills for Herman E. Calloway and his band, whom he believes is his father. The story opens with Bud being placed with a new foster family the Amoses. Bud runs away in search of his father. Along the way, he is picked up by Lefty Lewis from Grand Rapids, on his way to Flint. Bud tells him that he was running away from his home in Grand Rapids, and Lewis agrees to drive him back to Grand Rapids. Bud shows up at the club where Calloway and his band are playing and tells Calloway that he is his father. While no one believes him, and Calloway himself is hostile toward the boy, the band members take pity on him and he comes to live with Calloway and Miss Thomas, the band's singer. Bud begins to go on the road with the band, and after one concert he notices Calloway picking up a rock and writing the date and location of the concert on it. When Bud shows Calloway the rocks from his mother, which have writing on them just like Calloway's, Calloway accuses him of stealing them from his house. When the others intervene and Bud is questioned about the rocks, he explains that he got them from his mother, who, upon further questioning, is discovered to be Calloway's estranged daughter who had run away ten years before.

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Mar 06, 2011

Carly rated it

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"Bud, Not Buddy" is a great historical fiction book about a 10 year old boy that lives in Flint, Michigan during the time of the depression, 1936 to be exact. Bud is a very determined boy. After he is put in a foster home after his mother dies he is determined to find his real father and he escapes from his foster and risks being homeless and hunger to find his real father. Although the book kind of seems sad, the author does a great job of putting a humorous twist in the book. This bo...more

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Mar 03, 2011

Jackson rated it

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Shelves: children-s

I just finished this book and I loved it!

As an historical fiction novel, it does a great job of showing a lot of different sides of the Depression in Michigan and different types of families. From standing in line at soup kitchens, to building and living in shanty towns near the train tracks, to riding freight trains in hopes of a better economy somewhere else, to the dangers of organizing unions in hopes of a better life in your job, to enjoying comfort and success in the entertain...moreI just finished this book and I loved it!

As an historical fiction novel, it does a great job of showing a lot of different sides of the Depression in Michigan and different types of families. From standing in line at soup kitchens, to building and living in shanty towns near the train tracks, to riding freight trains in hopes of a better economy somewhere else, to the dangers of organizing unions in hopes of a better life in your job, to enjoying comfort and success in the entertainment industry (because times are so bad entertainment is an escape for most), Curtis shows all different kinds of families living their lives and indulging in the small luxuries they can create for their families--whether it's a teaspoon of brown sugar, or something much more lavish, different families find creative ways to make their families feel happy and taken care of.

This is very apparent through the eyes of the main character, Bud, as he survives day to day in search of a family to belong to. He finds his own little joys in things like the smell of library books or the contents of the suitcase he clings to so dearly, but he has a "trust no one" attitude which helps him survive but also separates him from human connection.

I found myself feeling so disappointed and squeamish every time Bud lies to someone I so desperately hoped he could trust because it just felt so obvious that he was digging himself in a hole with all his lies. His character is very well developed, though, and as the book moves on, Curtis shows readers more and more of what's behind Bud's lies and mistrust of everyone.

I don't think I'm going to spoil anything if I add that the novel includes an afterword where Curtis talks about his inspiration for some of the characters and his research on what it was really like to live in Michigan in the time of the Depression. This little history lesson was interesting, accessible, and really tied the book into the time period even more than the story did on its own.

As someone who is very much pro union, I appreciated that a children's novel about Depression era Michigan talked about union organizing and explained unions in a way that was very much accessible and easy to understand for youth

I will also add, that while not as central a theme as I understand it is in some of his other books, Curtis does a great job talking about race in a way that is accessible to youth

So overall, I loved this book. It was very gripping. I also appreciated that it covered a lot of topics that might draw in kids with specific interests (railroads, music, and the classic thing I know I was really interested in in a kid which was anything to do with a kid running away from home or being out on his/her own). It is also yet another children's book where the main character's love of literacy makes reading feel magical, exciting and worthwhile.(less)

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Jan 11, 2011

Debbie rated it

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This book won the 2000 Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” and the award is well-deserved.

Set in Flint and Grand Rapids Michigan in 1936, the story covers three tumultuous days in the life of Bud Caldwell, orphan, age 10. Bud’s single mom died when he was six and he has lived in the orphanage and various foster homes since. Bud’s already wise to the system. So wise that he can feel sorry for the six-year-old who’s being sent to a ...moreThis book won the 2000 Newbery Medal for “the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children” and the award is well-deserved.

Set in Flint and Grand Rapids Michigan in 1936, the story covers three tumultuous days in the life of Bud Caldwell, orphan, age 10. Bud’s single mom died when he was six and he has lived in the orphanage and various foster homes since. Bud’s already wise to the system. So wise that he can feel sorry for the six-year-old who’s being sent to a foster home in the most recent “deployment” from the orphange.

…Six is a real tough age to be at. Most folks think you start to be a real adult when you’re fifteen or sixteen years old, but that’s not true, it really starts when you’re around six.

It’s at six that grown folks don’t think you’re a cute little kid anymore, they talk to you and expect you to understand everything they mean. And you’d best understand too, if you aren’t looking for some real trouble, ’cause it’s around six that grown folks stop giving you little swats and taps and jump clean up to giving you slugs that’ll knock you right down and have you seeing stars in the middle of the day. The first foster home I was in taught me that real quick.

(If that doesn’t break your heart, what will?) To cope with his world in which children must be “too wise, too soon”, and can’t trust any adult, Bud has composed “Bud Caldwell’s Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself”. Sprinkled randomly throughout the book (#3, #63, #29, #16 etc), they’re a melange of timeless childhood advice, hilarious reasoning, and poignant realizations.

Bud’s busting out of the padlocked shed his newest foster parents have locked him in, and he’s off to find his unknown father. When she died, his mother left a half-dozen small stones inscribed with letters and numbers, and five different flyers for the jazz band Herman E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators. Bud is convinced that Herman E. Calloway is his father.

This is a young adult book that will be enjoyed by adults and adolescents alike. Bright and polite Bud narrates his own story and, although he relates the precarious position of an orphan during the Great Depression, he never sounds like he feels sorry for himself. Life is full of unpleasant situations but with his self-authored book of “Rules and Things…”, he can find a way to deal with anything. You’ll be uplifted by his story.

I rate Bud, Not Buddy 4.5 out of 5 stars.(less)

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Dec 08, 2010

Brenna Reese rated it

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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Nov 10, 2010

Jill rated it

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Recommends it for: 10+

Shelves: newbery-medal

I have to say, for one of the newer Newbery winners I wasn't particularly impressed. It's funny, Mandy told me she thought it started off slow and became a little more interesting toward the end. I had the opposite experience--after the first few chapters I thought the story had great potential. I had high hopes, but for me the writing started to drag in the middle and fizzled out toward the end. I thought the author could have done more to resolve the relationship between Bud and Herman.
...moreI have to say, for one of the newer Newbery winners I wasn't particularly impressed. It's funny, Mandy told me she thought it started off slow and became a little more interesting toward the end. I had the opposite experience--after the first few chapters I thought the story had great potential. I had high hopes, but for me the writing started to drag in the middle and fizzled out toward the end. I thought the author could have done more to resolve the relationship between Bud and Herman.

"Most folks think you start to be a real adult when you're fifteen or sixteen years old, but that's not true, it really starts when you're around six. It's at six that grown folks don't think you're a cute little kid anymore, they talk to you and expect that you understand everything they mean."

"Everything moved very, very fast when Momma was near, she was like a tornado, never resting, always looking around us, never standing still. The only time stuff didn't blow around when she was near was when she'd squeeze my arms and tell me things over and over and over and over."

"She would tell me every night before I went to sleep that no matter what happened I could sleep knowing that there had never been a little boy, anywhere, anytime, who was loved more than she loved me. She told me that as long as I remembered that I'd be OK."

"Yeah, he's puny. Good thing his legs don't touch when he walks 'cause if those two twigs got to rubbing against one another he'd have a fire going in no time."

"Sounds like a case of diarrhea of the mouth and constipation of the brain."

"Some folks can look at you and tell if you're even thinking about slacking off, they'll add some work to you faster than you can say Jack Robinson. Some folks will find a excuse to strap you even if you're working as hard as you ever did in your life."

"I think it's because he expects so much out of everybody, himself included. And when you set your standards so high, you get let down a lot."

"Deza Malone was right, I was carrying Momma inside me and there wasn't anyone or anything that could take away from that or add to it either."

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Oct 26, 2010

The Rusty Key rated it

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Reviewed by Rusty Key Writer: Jordan B. Nielsen

Recommended for: Boys and Girls, ages twelve and up, but this book will probably soon be assigned in classrooms all across the country along with To Kill a Mockingbird and Number the Stars, where it rightfully belongs, so if you’re entering middle school, you may want to wait.

One Word Summary: Timeless

It’s deeply heartening to know that there are still writers out there who are creating works like Bud, No...more

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One more try	1	7	Nov 15, 2011 11:02pm
Endless tryout!!!	1	1	Nov 15, 2011 10:58pm
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About Christopher Paul Curtis

Curtis was born in Flint, Michigan on May 10, 1953 to Dr. Herman Elmer Curtis, a chiropodist, and Leslie Jane Curtis, an educator. The city of Flint plays an important role in many of Curtis's books. One such example is Bucking the Sarge, which is about a fifteen year old boy named Luther T. Ferrel, who is in a running battle with his slum-lord mother. Curtis is an alumnus of the University of Mic...more

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Trivia About Bud, Not Buddy

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Quotes from Me Llamo Bud, No Buddy

“...that was Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things to Have a Funner LIfe and Make a Better Liar Out of Yourself Number 83...If a Adult Tells You Not to Worry, and You Weren't Worried Before, You Better Hurry Up and Start 'Cause You're Already Running Late.” — 16 people liked it

“Rules and Things Number 63: Never, Ever Say Something Bad About Someone You Don't Know--Especially When You're Around a Bunch of Strangers. You Never Can Tell Who Might Be Kin to That Person or Who Might Be a Lip-Flapping, Big-Mouth Spy.” — 11 people liked it

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Groups That Shelved Me Llamo Bud, No ...

Terrapins Book Club 2011

35 members

last activity Feb 06, 2012 12:28pm

shelf: currently-reading

Newbery Books

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last activity Jan 24, 2012 11:05pm

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The Newbery Award Book Club

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last activity Jan 27, 2012 05:55am

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Bud, Not Buddy

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