Bud, Not Buddy

Christopher Paul Curtis's award-winning novel, Bud, Not Buddy, follows ten-year-old Bud Caldwell, an African American orphan in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression. After a particularly bad experience in a foster home, Bud decides to run away and search for the man he believes to be his father, a famous jazz musician named Herman E. Calloway. His journey takes him across Michigan, where he encounters both hardship and unexpected kindness, offering readers a vivid glimpse into the historical realities of the era, including the impact of the Depression and racial segregation. Told with humor and a strong, innocent narrative voice, the book explores themes of resilience, identity, and the profound search for family and belonging.

Ten-year-old Bud, a motherless boy living in Flint, Michigan, during the Great Depression, escapes a bad foster home and sets out in search of the man he believes to be his father--the renowned bandleader, H.E. Calloway of Grand Rapids. Newbery Medal