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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This story is set in the Great Depression. It follows a young orphan who surprises the man he thinks is his father. The story incorporates jazz, racism, historical perspective, and self determination themes. I enjoyed Bud the main character and the Jazz band he finds himself a part of. The theme of kindness pervades the story even though the secondary character is gruff and mean.
fast-paced
I wondered why "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" by the same author got runner-up on all the awards and this book won them (Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Award)...but now that I've read it, I know why. It's an even sweeter story. An orphan in Depression Era, Flint, Michigan, goes in search of his family. You'll fall in love with many of the characters...Buddy, Lefty Lewis, Miss Thomas (the vocalist), and the sax player in the band. It's a wonderful story that exhibits the warmth and humor of tight-knit African-American families...whether related by blood or by choice.
Re-read out loud to Denny and Kay and my kids on a road trip through the Midwest. We were all in tears at the end, and this is one of my sweetest memories.
Re-read out loud to Denny and Kay and my kids on a road trip through the Midwest. We were all in tears at the end, and this is one of my sweetest memories.
funny
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book about finding family. It also gives the reader an age appropriate look at the Depression Era Midwest. Bud's rules and ways of problem solving are fun and cute. His descriptions of his life "on the lam" are exactly how I would imagine a 10 year old boy to talk. This is a great literary introduction to historical fiction for Middle School students.
I listened to this on audio which isn’t my favorite way to consume books, but it really was a good story. I loved the main character, Bud, and enjoyed his journey of trying to find his father. The story highlighted some of the struggles of the Depression and I loved the historical aspect!
Bud lives an unusually charmed life (not to say it’s easy) and like a children’s book everything is ok in the end. But reading this book as an adult it was still really fun and enjoyable - you never feel like this book is only for kids, merely that kids might relate to it the most
This book is brilliantly written and gives a very realistic depiction of Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression. Poignant and at some times, heartbreaking, Bud's story truly did touch my heart. It was also pretty cool that Curtis' grandfathers are the basis for two characters in the story, and I loved that this story gave me a chance to see things from a new perspective.