Bud, Not Buddy Written by Christopher Paul Curtis. Published September 2, 1999 by Delacorte Books for Young Readers.
Genre: Fiction Sub-Genre: Historical fiction
Themes: Family, survival, adventure, mystery, quest for truth, friendship, humor, music
Genre: Fiction Sub-Genre: Historical fiction
Themes: Family, survival, adventure, mystery, quest for truth, friendship, humor, music
Awards:
Newberry Medal
Coretta Scott King Award
This is a wonderful book!! It tells the story of Bud, a ten-year-old orphan in Flint, Michigan in the 1930s. The first chapter opens as Bud is moved from his current residence, an unsavory group home, into a foster home that turns out to be even worse. Mistreated by his new guardians, he escapes their confinement his first night at their house. From this point on, Bud is "on the run", sleeping outside the homeless mission, taking cover by day in the town library, and more or less getting by on the kindness of strangers. At one point he even ends up in a "Hooverville" shantytown as he attempts to board a train out west with a fellow escapee of the home (another young boy, this one nicknamed Bugs). We learn bit by bit that Bud is driven by his desire to locate his long-lost father; in a battered suitcase that holds all his possessions he carries evidence of his father's whereabouts. This evidence consists mainly of a couple of worn flyers left him by his deceased mother. As the story unfolds and Bud ends up in the town where his father allegedly resides, we are able to piece together the truth of his family history. Both humorous and heart-wrenching, the book has a very satisfying ending and does not disappoing in any way!
I would not hesitate to use Bud, Not Buddy for a literature circle book. It may be best suited to students in the fifth and sixth grades, because of the difficulty level of concepts presented. It's a wonderful example, too, of historical fiction because it paints a picture of life during the Great Depression and the 1930s in general. I believe any young student could relate to this; I myself was slightly skeptical about whether or not I could "get into" a book about a young African-American boy, but was quite surprised at the empathy I formed with Bud and his plight as I read! An excellent piece of work. = )
This is a wonderful book!! It tells the story of Bud, a ten-year-old orphan in Flint, Michigan in the 1930s. The first chapter opens as Bud is moved from his current residence, an unsavory group home, into a foster home that turns out to be even worse. Mistreated by his new guardians, he escapes their confinement his first night at their house. From this point on, Bud is "on the run", sleeping outside the homeless mission, taking cover by day in the town library, and more or less getting by on the kindness of strangers. At one point he even ends up in a "Hooverville" shantytown as he attempts to board a train out west with a fellow escapee of the home (another young boy, this one nicknamed Bugs). We learn bit by bit that Bud is driven by his desire to locate his long-lost father; in a battered suitcase that holds all his possessions he carries evidence of his father's whereabouts. This evidence consists mainly of a couple of worn flyers left him by his deceased mother. As the story unfolds and Bud ends up in the town where his father allegedly resides, we are able to piece together the truth of his family history. Both humorous and heart-wrenching, the book has a very satisfying ending and does not disappoing in any way!
I would not hesitate to use Bud, Not Buddy for a literature circle book. It may be best suited to students in the fifth and sixth grades, because of the difficulty level of concepts presented. It's a wonderful example, too, of historical fiction because it paints a picture of life during the Great Depression and the 1930s in general. I believe any young student could relate to this; I myself was slightly skeptical about whether or not I could "get into" a book about a young African-American boy, but was quite surprised at the empathy I formed with Bud and his plight as I read! An excellent piece of work. = )
No comments:
Post a Comment