Bud, Not Buddy, is a historical fiction novel by Christopher Paul Curtis. It is about a ten year old boy living in an orphanage on the search to find his father. He has had no family in his home town of Flint, Michigan, since his mother died four years ago. After he ends up in an awful foster home he decides to go on the lam and really try to find his long-lost father. Or, at least he thinks it’s his father. Before his mother passed, she had given him clues to his father. Clues like flyers with Herman E. Calloway (supposedly his father) on them, and flat rocks with odd mixtures of numbers and letters on them. Bud runs into obstacles on his way to Grand Rapids, Michigan. He meets new people and has some troubles along the way, but he is determined to find Herman E. Calloway, not just for him, but also for his mother.

This book is great for people from a range of ages. Mostly middle school kids would enjoy this book. Some kids can relate to Bud’s not having a mother or father, or any family at all. Some might think he is funny or crazy for doing the things he does or by the way he thinks. But Bud doesn’t have anyone. I liked the book, Bud, Not Buddy. It is a good book for someone that likes reading about historical situations. Even though it’s fiction, they would still like it because it’s believable. This could’ve happened. It is based upon real things that happened in history such as the depression. The depression hit America hard and this book explains what a little boy is like during this time.