Thank you for your reading responses! I know that we have lots of opinions about the books we've read, and I am very glad to hear them all. Some books we've loved; some books we've endured. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Enjoy reading the reflections.
We will start of with your thoughts about Bud, Not Buddy:
This story is about a 10 year old boy named Bud who is searching for his father.
Bud is a boy who's father left and his mom died when he was 6 years old. He was placed in an orphanage, then was put in foster homes 3 times untill he was 10 years old. When he was placed in the 3rd foster home things were so bad he ran away in search of his father. He had a flyer that his mom gave him with a picture of a man that thought might be his father. He took a train to get to the place on the flyer. But the man he thought might be his father didn't believe that Bud was his son. The man let him sleep there, and a woman named Miss Thomas told him that a girl used to live in the room that Bud was staying in, but she was gone so Bud doesn't have to worry about her coming in the room screaming because someone is sleeping on her bed. In Bud's rules, gone meant dead! The band that the man belonged to went to go practice for a show the next day. When they were done practicing, Bud had some rocks with the month, the day and the year on it. The man asked where he got them from because he had the same ones. Bud said he got them from his mom, Angela Janet. The man went off crying. Miss Thomas said, '' He went off crying to his room because Angela Janet was his daughter. He is your grandfather. Not your father.'' Bud also found out that the dead girls room was his moms room when she was living there! Jimmy (one of the band members) encouraged him to play the recorder. All of the band members said if he keeps on practicing, he could probably be part of the band in 10 years! In the end, he lived with his grandfather and slept in his mom's room. Even though he didn't find his father, he found someone else he could love as much, and would love him just as much, his grandfather.
MR
Bud, Not Buddy, a book by Christopher Paul Curtis, is about a 10
year old boy named Bud living in the era of the Great Depression. Bud
lives in an orphanage called The Home in Flint, Michigan. All he owns is a
pocketknife, a cardboard suitcase, five flyers that have Herman E. Calloway
and his band the Dusky Devastators of Depression on them, a bag of rocks
and a picture of his mother. This book is about his journey to try and find
Herman E. Calloway who he thinks might be his father.
I think Bud has some interesting character traits:
• Bravery and trust because he began a journey to find his father by
leaving in the middle of the night to walk alone from Flint to Grand
Rapids. Luckily, Bud was spotted by a driver while walking in the
middle of the road. The driver claimed that he was going to Grand
Rapids too. Bud trusted a stranger and got in the car with him.
Once they got to Grand Rapids Bud would have to face Herman E.
Calloway alone. Not knowing if he would be welcomed or rejected.
• Perseverant because when Bud met Herman E. Calloway, he was
rejected. In fact, things went so badly that Herman E. Calloway
accused Bud of being a thief. He thought that Bud stole one of his
rocks from his rock collection! Bud had to be very perseverant and
eventually Herman E. Calloway’s respect.
Even though Bud and I are the same age, 10, Bud has more freedom than
I do. For instance, Bud can walk anywhere he wants day or night. I, on
the other hand, can only walk alone as far as the General Store by school.
Something that’s also different is that Bud never really had a family but I
have really nice family and home. My hope is that if Bud’s story was to
continue he would build a strong relationship with his grandfather so he
will know what it’s like to have a family that loves him.
AA
Dear Mrs. Choi,
Do you know anyone who would pour a bit of warm water over someone to make them urinate in their own bed? Well, I don’t, but Bud did it! This summer I read a book called Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. From that, I hope that you realize my point. Bud can be VERY mischievous. But I admire him most because of his perseverance. He never gave up on trying to find his father. He ended up never finding him, but finding another family member instead.
Sincerely,
BN
I did not like Bud, Not Buddy very much. I thought a lot of the characters were very mean. One person, a lifeguard at the pool, said that if you peed in the pool then you would be burned by chemicals and taken to prison. I think he said that just because everyone in the foster home was Negro and that is unfair.
The front of the book said it “is full of laugh-out-loud humor”, but there was not a single humorous thing in the book. This book is not funny, but more sad. When I read this book I felt sad for Bud because everyone was calling him by something they knew was not his real name, because his own grandfather didn’t accept him, and because his mom died.
If I met Bud I would try to be his friend because he is a nice kid who everyone treats badly. I think I could be a good friend to him because I would accept him and I would stand up for him if he ever got put down by someone like the foster home bully Billy Burns.
p.s. I used the word "Negro" because that is what they write in the book.
TA
The book Bud Not Buddy was written at the time of the great depression. It is written from a boy's point of view. The boy's name is Bud.
The reason why Bud is so convinced that Herman.E.Calloway is his Father is because Bud's mother always had flyers of Herman.E.Calloway, A.K.A, her father. so Bud still doesn't know who is father is but at least he has a new family! Calloway's band, and Bud at least knows that he does have at least one living relative that he knows about! Plus Bud sort of has an adoptive mother! Miss. Thomas.
I think that if Bud wasn't a book character and saw the world now, he would be shocked to see not so many people homeless people, compared to when Bud Not Buddy was written!
EM
Dear Mrs. Choi,
Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is a heart warming story about a African-American boy who sets out from his foster home where the people are treating him horribly in hope of finding his father. On his first night there he slept on a rubber mattress because the foster mom didn't want to hurt her "precious sheets" in case he wet the bed (witch he would never do). Then locking him in a shed where the windows are covered in newspaper to keep out the light, the floor is full of cockroaches and other bugs, having severed fish heads (mouths open) with needle sharp teeth on the door, and with a hornets nest on the roof. Bud hit the hornets nest, (thinking it was a vampire) so, naturally, the hornets got mad and started stinging him. he walked back to the door and got bit by one of the fish heads. He (and four hornets) jumped out through a window and Bud started walking to the house where he made it seem the the real child of the foster parents had wet the bed. He then picked up his suitcase that had his important possessions in it and stomped away from the house.
He stopped at a Christmas tree place to rest. The next day he went in the library and stayed there the whole day. That night, he and his friend Bugs from the orphanage fount a place full of homeless people that gave them dinner and a warm place to sleep.
The next day,he and Bugs tried with MANY other homeless people from the "town" to get on the train to Chicago. Sadly, only Bugs made it. He couldn't sleep in the "town" tonight because the place was abandoned when the heard the police were coming. He went back and slept under the pines again.
That morning, Bud decided to walk to Grand Rapids. Using a library book he figured out it would take him a total 24 hours to get there! He figured he should do the night part first so he read a book about the Civil War the rest of the day.
That night, bud started walking towards Grand Rapids. Bud kept going and going and going and going. At around 1:30 A.M. , he saw a car driving down the road but doesn't hide quick enough. The driver saw him! They then have a quick conversation at the end of witch Bud falls asleep and Mr. Lewis (the driver) takes him to his house where Bud stays asleep until lunchtime! Mr. Lewis then drives him to The Log Cabin where his fathers band practices. It turns out Herman E. Calloway is actually Buds Grandfather, but Bud doesn't mind. He becomes part of the band,and that makes him happy.
SN
Hi Mrs.Choi, this is my book review on Bud not Buddy. I think the grossest thing in the book is when Bud gets stung in the ear by a hornet. “Another hornet buzzed into my ear and it felt like someone had poured hot wax down my ear and into my brain.’’ I would rate it a 5 out of 6 because it is really funny and surprising. I would not recommend this book to 3rdgrader because there are some disturbing sections in this book. I love how the author describe things. For example, “I was smiling and laughing and busting my gut so much that I got carried away and some rusty old valve squeaked open in me then…woop, zoop, sloop…tears started jumping out of my eyes so hard that I had to cover my face with the big red and white napkin that was on the table.” The book made me feel “Wow”! Iwould have never thought of that ending. Many things surprise you and nothing is more surprising than the end.
See you soon,
Z O-H
Bud, Not Buddy
Bud, not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is about a 10 year old boy. He never met his father and his mother died when he was six. A part that I thought was very good was a part about something Bud's mother said to him. Throughout the book Bud would talk about things his mother said to him and talk about what she was like. There were 4 favorite things his mother liked telling him. One of them was about Bud's name. These are the words she said that I liked,"Bud is your name and don't ever let anybody call you anything outside of that either. Especially Buddy, I may have problems but being stupid isn't one of them, I would've added that "dy" onto the end of your name if I intended for it to be there. I knew what I was doing, Buddy is a dog's name or a name that someones going to use on you if they're being false-friendly. Your name is bud, and that's period." She would also say,"And do you know what a bud is?" even though Bud always said he knew what it was she would always act like she didn't hear him because she would always tell him,"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." She would also say, "And Bud, I want you always to remember, no matter how bad things look to you, no matter how dark the night, when one door closes, don't worry, because another door opens."I think that, that it is a very touching thing to say because she is saying that as Bud grows and gets older he will grow like a flower opening up and giving people his love. I think that at some parts in the book are very sad but that altogether it is a very good book. Here are some reasons of why it is a good book. It has many different feelings such as sad and happy and it had some action. I read the afterword and there is something really cool that i learned that some authors do. Christopher Paul Curtis said in the afterword that even though the book is fictional and the characters fictional he makes the characters using people he knows. He made some of the characters by thinking of people in his life. He made Lefty Lewis and Herman E. Calloway from both of his grandfathers.
AP
I think Bud, Not Buddy, by Christopher Paul Curtis is a pretty good book. One of the reasons is that the main character, Bud, is very ambitious. For example, he tries to walk from Flint, MI to Grand Rapids MI to meet his dad.I think one thing he is ambitious for is a better life, and something that would make his life better is a father. Bud is daring and has a lot of nerve, especially when he is scared and/or anxious. For example, when he thought he was encountering a vampire, he tried to drive a car! My only regret is that Bud lies a lot.
JN
The book is about this kid named Bud who lives in a foster home. He is sent to a family that is being paid to take care of him. On his first night there he wakes up and finds their kid Todd sticking a pencil up his nose. He hits Todd , not very hard, but he starts crying and his mother comes into the room and puts Bud in the woodshed. Bud can't find a way out. He sees something resembling a bat above his head . Thinking it's a vampire bat ,he hits it with a stick. Turns out it was a hornets nest. The door out of the woodshed wasn't locked but there is a guard on the door. He forgot it was there but he was still able to open the door. The door to the woodshed led to the kitchen and he found a .22 rifle sitting above the door. He probably thought they heard him sneaking out and they would shoot him with it. So he hid it and snuck into Todd's room with a jar full of warm water. He poured the water onto Todd's hand and he saw a puddle gathering near his feet. He took his suitcase and snuck out of the house. He went outside the library and slept there. Before his mother had died she had gathered a lot of fliers They all had pictures of a band . Each of them had a picture of a man with a giant fiddle. His name was Herman E. Calloway. Bud's last name was Caldwell. Those two last names were very similar so he was determined to see if Herman E. Calloway was his father. He knew that Calloway was in Chicago so he wanted to find the quickest way there. When the library opened he went inside and tried to find out how long it would take to walk to Chicago. When he couldn't find the information on his own he went and asked the librarian.The librarian took out a big travel book and found out how long it would take to get there on foot.It would take 5 days so he then decided he would take the train. That night he was sleeping by the christmas tree and somebody jumped on top of him. The voice said,"If this isn't Bud Caldwell from the home I am sorry." It was his friend Bugs from the home.They had heard of a town that had a train station called Hooverville. When they arrived to Hooverville they noticed the houses were made of cardboard boxes. They asked a man if this was Hooverville and he replied that Hoovervilles were scattered all across the U.S. The man said that they could share a meal if they washed the dishes.They accepted , When they went to sleep they heard yelling and ,"They are pulling out, they are pulling out!" Bud grabbed his suitcase and ran to the train station. Policemen were blocking all entrances to the train. Soon all of Hooverville was there and the policemen got scared and all ran away. The train started up and started pulling out. People started getting on. The train was on its way to Chicago. It started going faster and faster. Bugs was able to get on but Bud was not. Bugs screamed' "Throw me your suitcase!" Bud threw his suitcase but the train was full speed and Bud could not catch up . Before the train was out of sight the suitcase came tumbling out of the train.Bud walked and picked it up and went back to the library.He decides to walk to Grand Rapids. It would take one day and one night to reach it. On the way there he would hide in the bushes whenever a car came by. One car came by and he ducked in the bushes, the car stopped and the man came out., He started walking towards the bushes where Bud was hiding. He started calling for Bud to come out of the bushes by offering him food. Bud came out and sat in the passenger seat. Then he climbed into the drivers seat when the man went outside to get something and locked all the doors. He turned on the ignition and started to drive away. The man was able to catch up to him. He ended up driving them to Flint where his house was. Bud went to sleep and when he woke up they had breakfast and the man drove Bud to Grand Rapids. Herman E. Calloway was also in Grand Rapids. Bud walked into the log cabin where Herman E. Calloway was playing. The band introduced themselves and so did Bud. The band made a deal with Bud that if they took him to a diner Bud would explain everything that had happened. Bud accepted and they headed to the diner. Bud ate and explained everything. The band invited them to stay at Herman E. Calloways house. Herman told Bud not to go into any of the doors and snoop around. Bud went to sleep and woke up the next morning and went downstairs. the band invited Bud to live with them. Bud accepted and one of the band members gave Bud an instrument case so he would have a better looking suitcase. They also bought him a horn .The story end with Bud living with the band.
OP
Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis is about a boy who has been put in an orphanage ever since his mother passed away. One day, Bud finds out that he is going to be adopted by a 3-person family. Finding out that this home is none other than a torture house for adopted kids like himself, Bud decides to run away and sets himself a goal to find his long lost father. Maps, trains, old friends, his first kiss, Bud encounters all these in his epic adventure.
I feel that the book, Bud Not Buddy is about never giving up. Bud missed the train but he kept trying other ways to get to his father. He was determined
to find his father. He never gave up. When Bud got his trumpet, he practiced everyday and never gave up. These are just some of the challenges that Bud persevered through. All Bud really wants is to have a home and not be in an orphanage. He wants someone to care for him. In Bud's eyes, his goal is to find his father. But in Bud's heart, his goal is to find love.
MG
