Learn

The only rules that ten-year-old Bud has to abide are the rules that he has written for himself: “How to Have a Funner Life and Make a Better Liar Out of Yourself.” Bud thinks that if he follows this guideline that he will find a real family and a home full of love. You see, Bud’s mother died a couple of years before the novel begins, and he is living in an orphanage. The only clues that he has to help him find his relatives are a couple of rocks with labels on them, and some flyers announcing a band leader named Herman E. Calloway.

Soon, he is sent to a foster home where the people treat him very poorly. Unable to take it any longer, Bud decides to walk across the state of Michigan to one of the cities listed on the flyer. He is convinced that Herman E. Calloway is his father and has set his mind to finding him. While on the road, Bud encounters all types of characters and is put in many risky situations. Set in the 1930’s, this Newberry Award wining novel is a timeless story of searching, survival and courage. If you enjoyed Maniac Magee, you’ll really like Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis.