For me, the best part of this novel was the setting - Flint, MI - probably because I'm from that area. Reading this in fourth grade I barely related it to my own knowledge of the town, but now I can catch all of the relations to the area. There's a real Hurley hospital that my stepdad used to live near. And in my examination of The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 (my role is Intertextual for this week), I found several more references to the area. Mitchell's, a market Curtis refers to, was a real store that one of my friend's great-grandparents owned. The Watsons watched Channel 12, which is Flint's main news channel. There were so many references that made these pieces interesting to me as a reader.
I think these small references are an effective way to teach children about history and different cultures. It keeps Curtis's writing authentic and engaging when these real-life references are examined. Children, especially from my area, have an opportunity to look closely at their city's cultural and historical roots.
I love that Bud, Not Buddy was set in Michigan. I'm not from Flint, but I live 45 mins away. It was really interesting to read a book that I knew the surrounding areas. I feel like I don't know much about Michigan's history so I was so happy to learn something about it through a fictional story that I enjoyed reading. I think the author did a very good job is keeping the history accurate. I think Bud, Not Buddy is a book that children should read in school because a history lesson about the Great Depression can follow it, but children can get a little glimpse at what happened through an entertaining book.
ReplyDeleteI also loved the book, Bud, Not Buddy. I found that the book touched upon many different lessons in life and I also loved the humor in it. I found myself laughing out loud sometimes, especially when Lefty Lewis was talking. I actually think it is very cool that this book takes place in Michigan. I grew up and still reside in Beverly Hills, but I have been to both flint and Grand Rapids. I don’t think that it really matters to a young kid if the book takes place in their town as much, but just the fact that it takes place in Michigan is an attention grabber right there. Obviously it would be sweet if a book took place in my town, I am just saying that even though it did not take place in my hometown, the fact that it takes place in Michigan is cool enough for me. I think that elementary school kids in Michigan would find this very interesting and “cool” that it takes in their state and maybe grab their attention right off the bat, and they can also learn a thing or two about towns in Michigan that they have never been to or heard of! I think this all goes back to how kids can relate to books, and I definitely think relations are important because that is what immediately draws kids into books. Relations, I think, are an important thing for beginner readers.
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