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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
I have to give this five stars - I haven't read a Newberry award winner recently that's really captured my attention and wanted me to read more. This book changed all of that. Within the first couple of pages, I fell in love with the 10-year-old boy named Bud. This book takes the reader through what life was like for an orphan boy searching for his father and navigating the world of the Great Depression while on his adventure. I could literally "hear" the boy's voice / thoughts and "see" his settings. An educational and entertaining read.
Bud, Not Buddy tells the story of 10-year-old Bud Caldwell, an orphaned African American boy living during the Great Depression of the 1930s. After being mistreated by a foster family, Bud decides he's going to take his few prized processions and try to find his father using the clues he's sure his mother gave him before she died.
There are a lot of great things about this book and I now understand why this book is used in classrooms. The book gives insight to various aspects of the 1930s: music, the Great Depression, racism and prejudice, just to name a few. Another great aspect of the book is that it is about a minority character in foster care--not a common topic in children's and middle-grade literature, but one that is definitely needed. But the best thing about this book is it isn't boring! So often, kids are forced to read these books and they're dry as dirt; Bud, Not Buddy is a fast, interesting, and at some points, funny book. Bud is such a relatable and likeable character. Kids are going to read this book and not even realize they're learning history. Two thumbs up to that!
There are a lot of great things about this book and I now understand why this book is used in classrooms. The book gives insight to various aspects of the 1930s: music, the Great Depression, racism and prejudice, just to name a few. Another great aspect of the book is that it is about a minority character in foster care--not a common topic in children's and middle-grade literature, but one that is definitely needed. But the best thing about this book is it isn't boring! So often, kids are forced to read these books and they're dry as dirt; Bud, Not Buddy is a fast, interesting, and at some points, funny book. Bud is such a relatable and likeable character. Kids are going to read this book and not even realize they're learning history. Two thumbs up to that!
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A classic for a reason! Needed more books to read while home and when your mom is a children’s librarian there’s always gems on hand. This is so sweet and funny but specific and real. Balancing the real heartbreak Bud has lived through with the loveliest ending. Also loved his rules!!
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
loved loved this, this is one of my favorite reads ever!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As a kid, I skimmed through this book and set it aside, thinking it was boring because there weren't enough girls in it.
Apparently, my standards have changed since then. It was genuinely entertaining to see the Depression-era world through the eyes of this no-nonsense, little "human bean"! I especially enjoyed the focus on music in the last part of the book. I had some of the same feelings about music when I was young, although I wouldn't have known how to describe them the way Bud does.
Honestly, this might've gotten five stars from me if it weren't for the amount of lying Bud gets away with--and sometimes acts proud of. Also, a random scene where he kisses a girl he just met. (They're both only 10!?) If I had kids, I'd want to discuss the content with them after letting them read the book.
Apparently, my standards have changed since then. It was genuinely entertaining to see the Depression-era world through the eyes of this no-nonsense, little "human bean"! I especially enjoyed the focus on music in the last part of the book. I had some of the same feelings about music when I was young, although I wouldn't have known how to describe them the way Bud does.
Honestly, this might've gotten five stars from me if it weren't for the amount of lying Bud gets away with--and sometimes acts proud of. Also, a random scene where he kisses a girl he just met. (They're both only 10!?) If I had kids, I'd want to discuss the content with them after letting them read the book.
I read this because my 5th grader was reading it. I really enjoyed this story. Bud was a wonderful narrator and this book had a lot of fantastic elements to it but I wanted more. I felt like I hit a brick wall at the end. It was like there was a page limit, the limit was reached so the story just ended. Kind of left me feeling a little sad that I couldn’t read more about Bud and the new life/adventure he was starting on. Still worth reading though.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Favorite Quote: “A Bud is a flower-to-be. A flower-in-waiting. Waiting for just the right warmth and care to open up. It’s a little fist of love waiting to unfold and be seen by the world. And that’s you.”~Bud’s Mom
Right away there is a gut punch. I feel sorry for the life circumstances that Bud finds himself and being a little Black boy in foster care is even more jarring knowing they are the less likely to be adopted and treated well once they are.
When his pretend parents make sure he is able to eat at the mission, that was such a beautiful and sad moment and I’m happy they poured into him.
As Bud’s journey continued it is a journey you won’t want to put down. Beautifully written and a perfect ya novel.
Right away there is a gut punch. I feel sorry for the life circumstances that Bud finds himself and being a little Black boy in foster care is even more jarring knowing they are the less likely to be adopted and treated well once they are.
When his pretend parents make sure he is able to eat at the mission, that was such a beautiful and sad moment and I’m happy they poured into him.
As Bud’s journey continued it is a journey you won’t want to put down. Beautifully written and a perfect ya novel.