Bud, Not Buddy

Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis, Yearling, 1999.

            Bud, Not Buddy follows ten-year-old Bud on his journey to find his father. Bud’s mother dies when he is just six. After her death, Bud is thrown into an orphanage and spends much of his life in foster care. After being locked in a shed by one foster family, Bud, armed with a suitcase of flyers about his presumed father and other keepsakes, runs away in search of his family.

            This book deals with issues of family and identity. Bud spends much of his life in the dark about his father and other family members because his mother passed away before she could discuss those issues with him. Though Bud has a strong sense of his literal identity (Bud, not Buddy), he lacks-and desperately desires- a sense of belonging. Over the course of the novel, he begins to learn that family can come from unlikely places. The book also includes undertones of racism and poverty. This novel would fit well with a historical study of the Great Depression, since it takes place during that time period and there are many time-specific markers throughout the story (e.g. Hoovervilles and Pullman porters).

            I think this book is definitely teachable at the middle school level. Bud has many humorous yet insightful thoughts about the world that students will find relatable. The language is simple to understand and the book is only 236 pages long.