Novel lesson Genre What is a genre? WARM-UP What is your favorite genre? Why? What is a novel?

Guess the Genre?

Christopher Paul Curtis Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint’s historic Fisher Body Plant #1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles—particularly big Buicks. Curtis’s writing—and his dedication to it—has been greatly influenced by his family members, particularly his wife, Kaysandra. With grandfathers like Earl “Lefty” Lewis, a Negro Baseball League pitcher, and 1930s bandleader Herman E. Curtis, Sr., of Herman Curtis and the Dusky Devastators of the Depression, it is easy to see why Christopher Paul Curtis was destined to become an entertainer. Christopher Paul Curtis made an outstanding debut in children’s literature with The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. His second novel, Bud, Not Buddy, is the first book ever to receive both the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Why did he write this novel?

Bud not Buddy Historical Fiction PowerPoint

The Great Depression Worst Economic Crisis in American history. Caused by the Stock market Crash of 1929. Hunger, unemployment, poor living conditions

HOOVERVILLE Towns that built up during the Great Depression. Named After President Herbert Hoover Found in unpleasant neighborhoods Compare to ghettos and projects

CHARACTERS (Who was your story about?) Bud Who is bud? What is his purpose in the story? Can you name some other important characters?

PLOT ( What happened in the story?)

THEME ( What was the message or main idea of your story?) FRIENSHIP DISCOVERY JOURNEY HARDSHIP

Jazz Music Discrimination Foster Family Orphanage

Home Foster Family Home, sweet home? Yeah, right. Not so much in Bud, Not Buddy. Whether it's another miserable foster family or a cozy patch of pine needles, Bud is able to make the most of his situation and then decide when to push on He is on a quest for both a literal home—a place to eat, sleep, and play— and a figurative home—a place to feel comfort, love, and safety. Along the way, Bud sleeps in a dark old shed, under a tree, in a cardboard shack, in the back of a car, and in a nice, clean bed with fresh sheets.

Poverty In Bud, Not Buddy the community Bud grew up in is pretty poor because jobs were hard to find during the Great Depression. Bud is both poor and homeless, and he shows us how not having access to money for food or shelter can be a scary thing.

Race So, race is a pretty big topic in a lot of books, but in Bud, Not Buddy, we get a special insider perspective of the African-American experience through Bud's eyes. We see firsthand how hard life can be for a young black orphan boy in the 1930s, and we also see the variations in wealth within the black community: a lot of the black characters are very poor, but some of them are doing pretty well for themselves, like the Amoses and Lefty's family and Calloway's band. Bud's story shows us how all kinds of different people are living through the Depression, and it also shows us perspectives from that time we might not be very familiar with.

COMPASSION AND FORGIVENESs All Bud needs is love—and a little food. In Bud, Not Buddy, thanks to the kindness of strangers toward a tattered and lost little boy, Bud moves along on his journey and ultimately finds a home. But perhaps it is Bud's compassion and forgiveness for others that really helps him move forward. After all, it seems like the characters who care most about each other— Bud, Lefty, Angela, Miss Thomas, Deza—really make things move in this story. What does that tell us about the importance of caring for each other?

PERSEVERANCE If there is one thing that we think of when we think about Bud in Bud, Not Buddy, it's that he's got guts and drive. He may get scared from time to time, but he still plows ahead doing what he's got to do to survive. And he remains a pretty decent person while doing it. Let's hear it for Bud.

FEAR Just like any other kid—or, ahem, adult—Bud is afraid sometimes. And let's be honest, he's got a lot more to be afraid of than your average kid. The world is a scary place in Bud, Not Buddy. But Bud doesn't let that stand in his way. We're not only talking ghosts and goblins here, but also fears of sleeping alone outside, of starving all day, and of being tricked by adults. He may get the spooks, but if he's going down, he's going down swinging.

Orphanage?

Jazz

Reading Expectations - Read Chapter 1 before next Novel Class.