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Bud, Not Buddy
304 pages
A big-hearted, jazz-infused road trip fueled by a young boy's unbreakable spirit and his very specific rules for surviving a tough world.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like listening to a great jazz record: sometimes bluesy, often upbeat, and ultimately triumphant. The experience is entirely anchored by its unforgettable narrator, whose pragmatic, wry voice turns a story of Depression-era hardship into a brisk, laugh-out-loud adventure. Despite the stark backdrop of poverty, orphanhood, and systemic racism, the atmosphere remains remarkably warm and hopeful, buoyed by the kindness of strangers and the rhythmic pulse of a jazz band. The prose is conversational and deeply endearing, inviting you straight into the mind of a boy who uses his own quirky rules to navigate a chaotic world. It will delight anyone who loves stories of scrappy resilience, found family, and the enduring power of holding onto hope.
- Mood
- hopeful
- jazzy
- bittersweet
- nostalgic
- Tone
- wry
- earnest
- humorous
- resilient
- warm
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- found family · resilience in hardship · the power of music · navigating grief · childhood independence
- The writing
- Highly voice-driven and conversational, peppered with memorable colloquialisms and the narrator's idiosyncratic rules for life.
- The arc
- Moves from lonely, scrappy survival to the warm, joyful embrace of belonging and found family.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love plucky, unforgettable narrators and historical fiction that balances stark realities with immense heart and humor.
Content notes
- orphanhood
- grief and loss of a parent
- poverty and homelessness
- racism
About the book
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: 1. He has his own suitcase filled with his own important, secret things. 2. He's the author of Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself. 3. 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.From the Hardcover edition.
Description from Open Library.
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