I listened to this Newbery winner by Christopher Paul Curtis with my son on the road trip to our new home. We both enjoyed it very much.When we meet Bud Caldwell, he is living in an orphanage in Flint, Michigan. Soon, though, we find him "on the lam" and in search of his father whom he has never met. He always carries his few belongings in a suitcase, and in the suitcase are clues his dead mother left behind about his father. Set during the Great Depression, this book is excellent for its historical value for children. Recommended.
1999, 245 pp.
Newbery
Rating: 4
3M, you've been busy! one review after the other!
ReplyDeletebtw, isnt bud not bud on the banned books list?
As a student in banned books week I would love to know if this book was banned so that I may di a report on it.
DeleteIt's been challenged in Texas in the past five years or so - see my October 1 post on "Newbery Banned Books." Not sure if it was banned or restricted or what.
ReplyDeletei thought that when i was reading this book with my summer school class that i wasn't going to like it at all. It turns out that it is a very good book and it shows us what the Great Depression was like. I strongly encourage more people to read the book Bud, not Buddy because you can compare how African Americans were treated then and how they are treated now. You can also see how this little boy who has nothing but a suitcase full of necessaries can travel to places all around the world. This book includes excitement, romance, mystery, desparity, and even a little bit of encouragement so grab that Bud, not buddy book of the shelf and i assure you it will be your favorite book within weeks that you are done reading it!
ReplyDeleteOk, I read Bud Not Buddy after reading The Watsons Go to Birmingham with my 6th grade class. I loved this story. It took the reader on a journey along with a young foster boy- Bud in Michigan. He leaves the home where he has many friends and is sent to an abusive foster home. After he escapes the horrible back shed in which he is locked over night, and attacked my door guarding fish heads and attempts to kill vampire bats he sets out to find his father.
ReplyDeleteBud makes many friends. The struggle of common people during the Depression is shown along with compassion people seem to naturally show towards children in tough situations.
The defining part of this audiobook for me was the epilogue. Curtis explains that many of these characters were inspired by his own family members. He encourages us all to learn our family history from our elders while they are alive. It is so exciting...I can't wait to have my students read this.