Module 5 Book Reviews: Historical Fiction

Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
Winner of the 2000 John Newbery Medal
Winner of the 2000 Coretta Scott King Award

1. Bibliography
Curtis, Christopher Paul. 1999. Bud, Not Buddy. New York, NY: Scholastic. ISBN 0439227534.

2. Plot Summary
Set during the depression, a young man named Bud escapes a difficult foster child experience to find himself on the road in search of his father. His only clue is the flyer tucked away in his suitcase for safekeeping, one of the few treasures remaining from his early childhood and his beloved mother. Never short on optimism or determination, Bud creates a new life for himself and is able to establish his place in the world.

3. Critical Analysis
The setting is painlessly introduced in this story through a minor character's dialogue early in the first chapter. "Now, now, boys, no need to look so glum. I know you don't understand what it means, but there's a depression going on all over this country. People can't find jobs and these are very, very difficult times for everybody." Throughout the rest of the book, the author is very adept at sneaking in inobtrusive hints as to the nature of a depression. In Chapter 6, ten year old Bud describes the scarcity of food when he's too late for breakfast at the mission, "If I didn't get any food now I'd have to steal something out of someone's garbage or I wouldn't be able to eat until the mission opened for supper." The fierce competition of survival is revealed through another person waiting in line, "You think you got some kind of privilege just 'cause you're skinny and raggady? Look in the line, there's lots of folks look just like you, you ain't the worst." Chapter 8 introduces the cardboard jungle through the young character's description, "It was a bunch of huts and shacks throwed together out of pieces of boxes and wood and cloth. The Amoses' shed [described in detail previously] would've look like a realy fancy house here." The reader learns about the effects of the depression as Bud himself learns, firsthand. The descriptions are simple, to the point, and are only encounters in the quest to find his father - never the focus of the storyline. Later in the book Bud's life has taken many twists and turns and eventually he finds himself on the other side of the depression, with plenty of food and a comfortable place to sleep. In Chapter 18 a member of the musical band that cares for Bud tells the only white member of the band, "Take a look out the window, baby, there's a depression going on. How many folk you see living like us, Negro or white? Not many." This historical fiction work manages to objectively educate readers on the spirit of the times and provides readers a glimpse into another world.

4. Review Excerpts
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: Bud's journey, punctuated by Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last.
RIVERBANK REVIEW: Curtis writes with humor and sensitivity and makes readers care about the characters he creates. In the process, he offers up a significant slice of American history.

5. Connections
For additional literature that exposes the Great Depression through the child characters, the following books are available:
Hesse, Karen. OUT OF THE DUST. ISBN: 0590371258.
Winner of the 1998 John Newbery Medal.
Ryan, Pam Munoz. ESPERANZA RISING. ISBN: 043912042X