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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
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
From a library Newsletter...
For my November book I selected Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (level U) . My husband Sean heard the author speak last year at the the Lucy Calkins writing workshop and he highly recommended that I put it on my reading list. It took me 5 months to get around it to, but I don't forget a heartfelt recommendation and I was thrilled to read it first. The book, which won the John Newbery Award in 2000, was really wonderful and I can't believe I waited so long to pick it up! The story is set in Michigan during the Great Depression and follows the life of young Bud Caldwell as he strikes out on his own to find his father after running away from a horrible foster home. Bud's mother has been dead for 4 years but he thinks he has some clues to help him find his father in his old cardboard suitcase which he takes with him wherever he goes. I don't want to spoil much of the plot and certainly don't want to give away the ending, but if you pick up the book be ready for some real adventures, a good does of humor, true insight into one of the most transformative periods of American history, and a wonderfully satisfying story all around. I can't wait to read this one with my daughter soon. I know it will lead to a lot of important discussions.
For my November book I selected Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis (level U) . My husband Sean heard the author speak last year at the the Lucy Calkins writing workshop and he highly recommended that I put it on my reading list. It took me 5 months to get around it to, but I don't forget a heartfelt recommendation and I was thrilled to read it first. The book, which won the John Newbery Award in 2000, was really wonderful and I can't believe I waited so long to pick it up! The story is set in Michigan during the Great Depression and follows the life of young Bud Caldwell as he strikes out on his own to find his father after running away from a horrible foster home. Bud's mother has been dead for 4 years but he thinks he has some clues to help him find his father in his old cardboard suitcase which he takes with him wherever he goes. I don't want to spoil much of the plot and certainly don't want to give away the ending, but if you pick up the book be ready for some real adventures, a good does of humor, true insight into one of the most transformative periods of American history, and a wonderfully satisfying story all around. I can't wait to read this one with my daughter soon. I know it will lead to a lot of important discussions.
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A very sweet story, perhaps too tidy an ending but well done nevertheless.
This was okay. It’s an assigned book for our sixth graders at school. I found the dialogue distracting and wanted to skip over it. It’s hard for me to imagine that between the historical background knowledge required, as well as the colloquial dialogue used throughout the story, that students could follow along very easily and appreciate the story. I actually enjoyed reading the Afterword the most.
Another book that will make me cry in front of students. Well told, hard to put down, hilarious and heartbreaking. It makes me want to read more about the Great Depression. I think the only thing that troubled me (and more my cynical adult brain) was how nice everyone was in this story. I just didn't quite buy it. But I did like that this was the happy ending in a pretty horrible time.
I think I've never read this before now because the title really sucks. I think my students feel the same, and I can't wait for to be pleasantly surprised.
I think I've never read this before now because the title really sucks. I think my students feel the same, and I can't wait for to be pleasantly surprised.
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-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
adventurous
emotional
funny
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
"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."
•••
I revisited this a few months ago-- one of my favorites from middle school. After his mother's death, 10 year old Bud goes on the run in Flint to find his father in the midst of the Depression, chasing a band in a newspaper he keeps in his trusty suitcase. Christopher Paul Curtis is such a master children's book author, and I really recommend anything he's written!
•••
I revisited this a few months ago-- one of my favorites from middle school. After his mother's death, 10 year old Bud goes on the run in Flint to find his father in the midst of the Depression, chasing a band in a newspaper he keeps in his trusty suitcase. Christopher Paul Curtis is such a master children's book author, and I really recommend anything he's written!