Bud, Not Buddy Themes

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 de...

Sorry, Shmoopsters, but poverty is no laughing matter. 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...

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 c...

Are Bud's pants on fire? Sheesh, you'd think Bud might try to hide the fact that he has to lie on a daily basis just to survive, but no. He's proud of his Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life...

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....

A lot of the wisdom in Bud, Not Buddy comes from children who are figuring out life for themselves, sometimes with the help of some wise adults who share lessons with them. Often, we get to see how...

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 go...

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. Bu...