Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
emotional
medium-paced
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I enjoyed reading this book as a kid and wanted to reread before I donated the book. Reading now through the lens of an adult I appreciate the layers that have added on to the theme’s meaning. Yes, this is a story about the resilience of Black Americans and the experience of those less fortunate during the Great Depression, a history that should not be forgotten, but it is also (through a therapists’s lens) a wonderful allegory of memory, trauma, and healing.
Cute, funny, poignant story about a young boy during the Great Depression. After his mother dies and he gets kicked out of an abusive foster home, Bud decides to hit the road to find a jazz bandleader, Herman Calloway, that he suspects is his father. His theory is based on the sad way his mother used to react to some flyers advertising Herman Caldwell's gigs that she kept around. So he lugs his cardboard suitcase from Flint, Michigan in the direction of Grand Rapids, where he thinks he will find Mr. Calloway. He gets some help along the way from courier/suspected vampire named Lefty Lewis.
Bud's whole attitude and way of narrating really cracked me up. All his rules about what adults really mean when they say things, and how to lie better. Lefty Lewis was a great character too. And the whole description of Bud's life after he makes it to Grand Rapids, especially eating at the restaurant that was inside someones house, was really engaging. You really root for Bud, and the story was wrapped up in a satisfying way.
Bud's whole attitude and way of narrating really cracked me up. All his rules about what adults really mean when they say things, and how to lie better. Lefty Lewis was a great character too. And the whole description of Bud's life after he makes it to Grand Rapids, especially eating at the restaurant that was inside someones house, was really engaging. You really root for Bud, and the story was wrapped up in a satisfying way.
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Bud is an 11 year old orphan living in the 1930s. He is placed into an abusive foster home, deciding to escape and go on a journey to find who he suspects is his father. It follows Bud's journey across Michigan and his encounters with people along the way. Ultimately he finds his way to family who didn't know he existed.
It was a simple and easy to read tale that wove some of the struggles of black Americans during the 1930s, but ultimately focused on hope and community.
It was a simple and easy to read tale that wove some of the struggles of black Americans during the 1930s, but ultimately focused on hope and community.
Historical novel set during the Great Depression about a boy searching for his father using the clues his mother left behind. A more humorous book than I expected.
Love love love Christopher Paul Curtis' writing style. He takes on tough subjects with flair and personality- adding humor and light into tough conversations and tough realities of the depression.
Set in Flint, Michigan during the depression years of 1936, Bud is on his own and living by his instinct, his guts, his ever-expanding rules for life as he searches for a real home.
• Potential Use: In class to illuminate a historical period, a book for boys and for music enthusiasts.
• Child Appeal: Independent and smart main character, believable child’s voice; humorous, story of a child who runs away from home successfully; uplifting.
• Potential Use: In class to illuminate a historical period, a book for boys and for music enthusiasts.
• Child Appeal: Independent and smart main character, believable child’s voice; humorous, story of a child who runs away from home successfully; uplifting.