Reading Comprehension Bud, Not Buddy

1. Author

1.1. Christopher Paul Curtis

1.2. Birthdate: May 10, 1953

1.3. Nationality: American

1.4. About: He is an American children's book author. His book's Bud, Not Buddy and The Watson's Go to Birmingham won the Newbury Medal. C.P. Curtis was born in Flint, Michigan.

2. Characters

2.1. Protagonist: Bud Caldwell

2.2. Sidekick: Bugs, Deza Malone, Mr. Jimmy, Steady Eddie

2.3. Antagonist: Herman E. Calloway

3. Vocabulary

3.1. Chapter 1: temporary, depression

3.2. Chapter 2: blubbery, brute, coldcock

3.3. Chapter 3: tussle, ingenuity, simmer

3.4. Chapter 4: privileged, raggedy, spigget

3.5. Chapter 5: telegraph, fumbling, holt

4. General Info

4.1. Children's Literature/ Historical Fiction

4.2. Date of publishing: 1999

4.3. Original Language: English

4.4. Setting: 1936 Flint, MI and Grand Rapids, MI

4.5. Summary: 10-year-old Bud (not Buddy) Caldwell is on a mission to find his biological father during the Great Depression. Bud has been in and out of foster care and decides to use a flier his mother kept of a famous Jazz player as a clue to who his father is. To his surprise, the famous musician Herman Calloway is not his father instead he is Bud's grandfather. The story is historical fiction as the setting and events are based on true historical/ cultural events while the story itself is fiction.

5. Themes, Motives & Symbols

5.1. Themes: Family, Perseverance, Racism

5.2. Symbols: Bud's suitcase, The Flyer

6. Plot

6.1. Initial situation: Bud is an orphan and has been in and out of foster homes

6.2. Conflict: Bud is treated poorly in his foster home and want's to know who his father is.

6.3. Complication: Bud run's away on the hunt for his father. His plan is to make it to Grand Rapids, MI based off of a flyer his late mother saved.

6.4. Climax: Bud blurts out his mother's name to the band members and they realize he is the grandson of Herman E. Calloway

6.5. Suspense: Calloway is saddened by the news as he didn't know his own daughter passed away. He is hard on himself for being so tough on her to be able to face the adversities in life as a person of color.

6.6. Conclusion: Calloway takes Bud in and he no longer has to worry about being an orphan/ foster homes. The story ends with Bud learning how to play the saxophone that Steady Eddie bought for him and follows in his grandfather's footsteps.