Bud, Not Buddy

Curtis, Christopher P. (1999). Bud, not Buddy.  New York: Yearling Books.

      Do you get irritated when your name is mispronounced?  If so, you have a pet peeve like Bud Caldwell in the story Bud, Not Buddy.  "Mama would always tell me, "Bud is your name and don't you ever let anyone call you anything outside of that either.  Especially don't you ever let anyone call you Buddy, I may have some problems but being stupid isn't one of them, I would've added 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 someone's going to use on you if they're being false-friendly.  Your name is Bud, period." 

     Ten-year-old Bud Caldwell is on a search looking for his father in Flint, Michigan around the 1930's.  He has a few clues about who his father is, however he is bound and determined to meet him.  Bud goes through a lot of obstacles but remembers his mama's saying, "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."  

     Christopher Paul Curtis' Bud, Not Buddy won a Newbery Medal, as well as a Coretta Scott King Award.  To find out more about Bud Caldwell and his adventure on finding his father, read this book!  It will keep you "glued" from start to finish.