Book Summary
Life was difficult for everyone during the depression, but Bud Caldwell was not defeated by it. Motherless and having only one hint as to who his father is, Bud runs away from his foster home to find him using the only clue his mother left him--A flyer of Herman E. Calloway and his famous band, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression!!! (I think it is interesting that Curtis uses the names of two jazz greats from the era-Cab Calloway and Woodie Herman to create Herman E. Calloway's name.) Bud just has to get from Flint to Grand Rapids. He tries to jump a train, but is unsuccessful, but he does spend the night in a Hooverville and kisses his first girl. Bud finally makes it to Grand Rapids and finds Herman E. Calloway. He discovers that Calloway is very old, but he still believes he is his father. Calloway allows Bud to stay until he figures out what to do with him. Bud becomes friends with the men in the band and even begins to play a recorder. Finally, Calloway discovers who Bud really is when he finds that Bud collects rocks just like he does. Calloway is not Bud's father; he is his grandfather. Bud's mother was his daughter. She always asked him to bring her a rock from wherever he was playing.
My Impressions
Christopher Paul Curtis's voice is so strong that his work is identifiable even when you don't know the author. That is the mark of a good writer. In many ways, Bud Not Buddy is similar to The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963. Both books deal with oppression because of race, but both also have a family that encircles and comforts. My favorite part of the book is when Bud and Herman find out both of them collect rocks. That little twist makes it all clear. Bud is a strong character who is not deterred by hardship or pain. He makes his own rules and follows them and creates new ones when he needs them. If I could meet him, I think I would like him because he is smart, he likes to read, and he is strong.
Professional Review
Bud, not Buddy.(1999). Publisher's Weekly, 245(32).
As in his Newbery Honor-winning debut, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, curtis draws on a remarkable and disarming mix of comedy and pathos, this time to describe the travails and adventures of a 10-year-old African-American orphan in Depression-era Michigan. Bud is fed up with the cruel treatment he has received at various foster homes, and after being locked up for the night in a shed with a swarm of angry hornets, he decides to run away. His goal" to reach the man he-on the flimsiest of evidence-believes to be his father, jazz musician Herman E Calloway. Relying on his own ingenuity and good luck, Bud makes it to Grand Rapids, where his "father" owns a club. Calloway, who is much older and grouchier than Bud imagined, is none too thrilled to meet a boy claiming to be his long-lost son. It is the other members of his band-Steady Eddie, Mr. Jimmy, Dough the Thug, Doo-Doo Bug Cross, Dirty Deed Breed and motherly Miss Thomas-who makes Bud feel like he has finally arrived home. While the grim conditions of the times and the harshness of Bud's circumstances are authentically depicted, Curtis shines on them an aura of hope and optimism. And even when he sets up a daunting scenario, he makes readers laugh-for example, mopping floors for the rejecting Calloway, Bud pretends the mop is "that underwater boat in the book Momma read to me, Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea." Bud's journey, punctuated by the Dickensian twists in plot and enlivened by a host of memorable personalities, will keep readers engrossed from first page to last.
Library Uses
1. Help students make blue "suitcases" and fill them with their favorite things (real items may not all fit-use pictures. They can present them during library time and explain why they are important.
2. Ask the gym teacher have them walk around the gym for ten minutes. Use that time to figure out how long it would take to walk from Flint to Grand Rapids (or even better local cities).
Yang, G. L. (2006). American Born Chinese. NY: First Second.
Book Summary
American Born Chinese made the Michael L. Printz Award in 2006. There are really three stories in one, but they all come together neatly. The first is the story of the Monkey King. At first the Monkey King is happy but discovers that humans look down on him. To deal with that he declares that all monkeys must wash, they must walk upright, they must wear shoes, etc...He no longer wants to be a monkey. God finally comes to him and tells him he was not created to be human, he was made to be a monkey. Still the Monkey King refuses to accept this truth so God buries him beneath stone for 500 years. The next story is about a young second generation Chinese from San Francisco, Jin Wang. When his family moves to a new area, everyone believes he should speak Chinese and act Chinese. He is not happy being identified as Chinese. He wants to be Anglo with blond hair. In the meantime, the Monkey King finally frees himself from the pile of stone, saves a monk and becomes his servant. The next story is about an Anglo boy, Danny, who has a very strange Chinese cousin, Chin Kee, who lives with his family. His cousin behaves outrageously and Danny becomes embarrassed. He tries to beat up his Chin Kee, but the cousin has all sorts of fighting moves that Danny cannot overcome. Danny finally gets up off the ground and gives a mighty blow to Chin Kee's head--which comes off revealing-----The Monkey King. Since the Monkey King revealed his true form, he says it is time for Danny to reveal his---He is Jin Wang. The Monkey King explains he was not trying to torment Danny, he was trying to save him 500 years imprisoned in rock. So the moral of the story is--You are the best at being You.
My Impressions
Many people overlook this book because it is a graphic novel, but I thought it was wonderful. I think students today, no matter whether they're black, brown, yellow, red, or purple, need to understand the importance of discovering who they are--accepting it and even rejoicing in it. It has taken me a long time to understand that truth, even though I am a Christian. It appears that Buddhism and Christianity both emphasize the significance of being who you were created to be. I love that.
Professional Review
Cornog, M.(2007) American born Chinese. Library Journal, 132(5), 54.
A National Book Award Finalist and ALA's Printz Award winner, this fable stars the mythological Monkey King, realistic youngster Jin Wang of Taiwanese parentage and TV sitcom teen Danny. All three are dogged by an unwanted identity and humiliated by others' prejudice. The Monkey King trains to be a god but is unceremoniously bounced out of heaven and urged by "he who is" (the great god) to be what he is: a monkey. Jin tries to be accepted and romance a fellow student but gets picked on by classmates. Danny does well with friends until Chinese cousin Chin-Kee, a bitingly funny bundle of racist stereotypes, makes his annual visit and behaves so offensively that Daddy must change schools. Finally the three stories suddenly merge, to center on Jin coming to terms with his minority experience and moving beyond his own fear and hostility. Coalescence comes almost too quickly, but the trivision approach and treatment are unique and moving. The art is simple, colorful, and both attractive and effective. Some potty humor; recommended for teen and adult collections.
Library Uses
1. Collaborate with the language arts or English teacher. Help students remember when they wanted to someone else--what was the result--create a graphic novel. Display either in the classroom or the library.
2. Study Chinese mythology to discover the full story of the Monkey King.
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