Bud, Not Buddy- Christopher Paul Curtis

Title: Bud, Not Buddy
Author: Curtis, Christopher Paul
Publisher: Delacorte Press, 1990
ISBN-13: 9780385323062

Genre: Historical Fiction
Reading Level: 950 Lexile
Interest Level: 9-12
Awards:
 Newbery Medal (Won, 2000)Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2001)Sunshine State Young Reader's Book Award (Nominated, 2002)Wyoming Indian Paintbrush Book Award (Nominated, 2002)Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Won, 2001)Coretta Scott King Awards (Won, 2000)Golden Kite Awards (Nominated, 1999)Land of Enchantment Book Award (Nominated, 2003)Bluegrass Award (Nominated, 2001)Volunteer State Book Award (Won, 2002)Arizona Young Reader's Award (Won, 2002)Book Sense Book of the Year (Nominated, 2000)Golden Archer Award (Wisconsin) (Nominated, 2002)School Library Journal Best Books of the Year (Won, 1999)Garden State Children's Book Awards (Nominated, 2002)Massachusetts Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2002)Young Reader's Choice Award (Won, 2002)American Library Association Notable Books for Children (Won, 2000)Maine Student Book Award (Nominated, 2001) Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (Won, 2001)Great Lakes' Great Books Award (Nominated, 2001) ABC Children's Booksellers Choices Awards (Won, 2000) Publishers Weekly Best Books of the Year (Won, 1999) Prairie Pasque Award (Won, 2002) William Allen White Children's Book Award (Won, 2002) Bluebonnet Award (Nominated, 2002) Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Book Award (Nominated, 2002) West Virginia Children's Book Award (Nominated, 2002) Nene Award (Nominated, 2002) Louisiana Young Readers' Choice Award (Nominated, 2002) IRA Children's Book Awards (Won, 2000)

Readers Annotation: Its 1936 and Bud is a motherless boy trying to find a place to call home.

Plot:
One thing that Bud always keeps with him is a small suit case. In it is all the things that matters to him. He lost his mother at a young age and never knew who his father is. Bud decides that he is going to find his father, who is a famous singer. As he sets off with his suit case he runs into an older man who he lies to about why he is leaving Flint, Michigan. This is where the story really takes off. The two set off together on a journey to finding home. Bud learns about the prejudices of the world in 1936, about what it means to feel at home, and that family comes in all shapes and sizes.


Review:
This is a powerful book. Bud is parent-less child who just wants to feel like he belongs. The band he finds is different from the father he was hoping for but it turns out to be better. He finds a whole family as well as music. This book has been relevant for many years because it focuses on the core feeling of belonging that everyone searches for. The historical aspects are very interesting as well. There was a white man in the band so they would get booked for shows and there are certain places they steered clear of because of the racism. This book helps explain acceptance and belonging better than many.

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