Book Review: BUD, NOT BUDDY
*NOTE: This review was created for a class at TWU.

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 1999. BUD, NOT BUDDY. New York, NY: Delacorte Press. ISBN 0385323069

2. PLOT SUMMARY:
In BUD, NOT BUDDY, Newbery Award-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis tells the Depression-era story of a young orphaned boy named Bud, who runs away from an abusive foster home and goes in search of his long lost father. Along the way, he draws upon the wisdom of his mother and his own wry sense of humor to survive, befriending a ragtag bunch of musicians and finally finding a home where he belongs.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Christopher Paul Curtis's Depression era novel, BUD, NOT BUDDY, set a high standard for young adult historical fiction by seamlessly integrating the setting with characters who are real, believable, and relevant today. The themes of dignity under desperate circumstances, courage, and hope all accurately describe the spirit of those who survived the trials and tribulations of the Great Depression in America.

First, the setting is integrated in things Bud sees, places he goes, and the conversations he has with other characters. In chapter six, when Bud waits in line for food at the "mission," he sees a sign that aptly depicts the irony of the average American's situation in "the land of milk and honey." The sign portrays a rich family of four, with "big shiny eyes and big shiny teeth and big shiny cheeks and big shiny smiles," wearing "movie star clothes," and riding in a car that "looked like it had room for eight or nine more people in it." The top of the sign reads, "There's no place like America today," to which a character jokes, "Well, you got to give them credit, you wouldn't expect that they'd have the nerve to come down here and tell the truth." Later, Bud and a friend arrive in one of the "Hooverville" tent cities, bleakly described as "a bunch of huts and shacks throwed together out of pieces of boxes and wood and cloth." Yet, once again, Curtis relieves the dark situation with humor as a woman hands the boys "plates" for their meal. Bud narrates, "a woman handed me and Bugs each a flat, square, empty tin can. 'That, m'lords, is your china. Please be careful not to chip it.' My china had the words JUMBO A&P SARDINES stamped into the bottom of it."

Second, the characters in the story are real, believable, and relevant today, especially the protagonist BUD. Just as in the thirties, 21st century children are growing up with single parents, and most people can relate to Bud's stash of sentimental objects that serve as memories of a distant relative or loved one. Anyone who has searched for someone or longed to know someone better can relate to Bud's quest to find his father. If Bud's desires and motivations are relevant, his thoughts and speech make him real and believable. Phrases such as "get holt," "kiss my wrist," and "woop, zoop, sloop," bring Bud's voice to life, and once he meets up with H.E. Calloway and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, the boys in the band breath life into the lingo of the times with words like "chops," "scoop," "cop a squat."

While historically accurate, BUD, NOT BUDDY is most memorable for the truly charming and witty voice of its eponymous main character. Through Bud's eyes, Christopher Paul Curtis reveals the gritty realities of the Depression era, and compassionate characters whose strong doses of humor help everyone to keep hope alive and survive one of the worst periods in our country's history. This was my second reading of this outstanding novel, and even though I knew how it ended, I still found myself crying right along with Bud when I got to Chapter 14.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Children's Literature: "Curtis' book follows a young African-American boy as he struggles to find a home during the Depression. The author takes on a difficult time and seemingly sad plot, but Bud, the hero, has humor and originality that will open new doors and understanding about this era."

Publisher's Weekly: "As in his Newbery Honor-winning debut, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963, Curtis draws on a remarkable and disarming mix of comedy and pathos, this time to describe the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan."

5. CONNECTIONS & STRATEGIES
*Create a "Frozen Tableau" to help students better understand what it was like to live during the Depression. Give students copies of Depression Era photographs (perhaps the work of Dorothea Lange) and have students journal to react to them. In a discussion forum, clear up any misconceptions or confusion the pictures may have engendered. Then in groups, students pose as people in one of the pictures, creating a "frozen tableau." While in their frozen poses, the students answer questions from the teacher who acts as a "reporter," wanting to know the more about the people, the times, and the emotions in the picture. Use the instructions for creating a "Frozen Tableau" for THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM as a guide. They can be accessed at: http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/tml/workshop5/authors1b.html

* Compare and contrast the protagonists in A SINGLE SHARD (ISBN 044041581) and BUD, NOT BUDDY. Both novels tell the story of young orphaned boys trying to find their home in the world. I was struck by the similarities in the "wisdom" imparted to them by loved ones which each carried within them as a source of strength. Students could reflect on words of wisdom their own family and mentors may have imparted and write a short autobiographical narrative interweaving those words into the story.