Recommendations based on Bud, Not Buddyby Christopher Paul Curtis

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

    by Christopher Paul Curtis
    The Watson family travels from Michigan to Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, experiencing racism and tragedy.

    The Newbery Honor-winning American classic, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 , celebrates 20 years with this anniversary edition featuring a special letter from Christopher Paul Curtis and an ... (Goodreads)

  2. Because of Winn-Dixie

    by Kate DiCamillo
    A girl's journey of self-discovery and healing, as she finds friendship in an unlikely companion.

    Kate DiCamillo's beloved, best-selling debut novel is now available in a paperback digest edition. Kate DiCamillo's first published novel, like Winn-Dixie himself, immediately proved to be a keeper—a ... (Goodreads)

  3. A Year Down Yonder

    by Richard Peck
    Young girl moves to her grandmother's for a year, discovering life's hard lessons and unexpected joys.

    The year is 1938, and the Great Depression has hit the Dowdel family hard. 15-year-old Mary Alice is sent downstate to live with Grandma Dowdel while her mother and father remain in Chicago. Her ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Out of the Dust

    by Karen Hesse
    A poetic story of a young girl's endurance through a time of great hardship.

    When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Tale of Despereaux

    by Kate DiCamillo
    An epic adventure of an unlikely hero, on a quest to save his kingdom and restore justice.

    A noble mouse named Despereaux saves a princess named Princess Pea. Book one tells a story about a small, sickly mouse named Despereaux who was born in a castle with his eyes open. Despereaux, unlike ... (Wikipedia)

  6. When You Reach Me

    by Rebecca Stead
    A young girl in 1970s New York City receives mysterious notes that seem to predict the future. She must unravel the mystery before it's too late.

    Miranda is an ordinary sixth grader, until she starts receiving mysterious messages from somebody who knows all about her, including things that have not even happened yet. Each message brings her ... (Goodreads)

  7. The Midwife's Apprentice

    by Karen Cushman
    A young girl's journey from poverty to independence as she learns the craft of midwifery.

    In medieval Europe, a homeless orphan girl who has no name, and can recall being named Brat, attempts to nestle in a warm dung heap on a cold night. She wakes up to the taunts of village boys, and ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad

    by Ellen Levine
    A slave's courageous escape to freedom via the Underground Railroad.

    A stirring, dramatic story of a slave who mails himself to freedom by a Jane Addams Peace Award-winning author and a Coretta Scott King Award-winning artist. Henry Brown doesn't know how old he is. ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs

    by Jon Scieszka
    A humorous reimagining of the classic fairy tale, as told from the wolf's side of the story.

    You thought you knew the story of the “The Three Little Pigs”… You thought wrong. In this hysterical and clever fracture fairy tale picture book that twists point of view and perspective, young ... (Goodreads)

  10. Hatchet

    by Gary Paulsen
    A boy must learn to survive in the wilderness after a plane crash leaves him stranded.

    Brian Robeson is a thirteen-year-old son of divorced parents. As he travels from Hampton, New York on a single engine Cessna bush plane to visit his father in the oil fields in Northern Canada for ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Flotsam

    by David Wiesner
    A boy discovers a camera with mysterious photographs, inspiring a journey of exploration.

    The book has no words , but is told through pictures. A boy is at the beach and finds an old camera. He takes the film to get it developed, and sees photos of fantastical undersea cities and ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Invention of Hugo Cabret

    by Brian Selznick
    An orphaned boy's journey to unravel the secrets of a mechanical man and find his place in the world.

    In 1930s Paris, young Hugo Cabret and his father repair an automaton at the museum where his father works. When Hugo's father dies in a fire, his uncle brings him to live and work at the train ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    by Sherman Alexie
    A young Native American boy's struggles to survive in a difficult world.

    The book follows a fourteen-year-old boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington for a school year. It is told in episodic diary style, moving from the ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Maniac Magee

    by Jerry Spinelli
    A young orphan boy, Jeffrey Lionel Magee, becomes a legend in a racially divided town by bringing people together through his incredible feats of athleticism and kindness.

    Jeffrey Lionel Magee's parents were killed in a trolley accident when a drunk driver crashed and sunk it into the river in Bridgeport, Pennsylvania , orphaning him at age three. After living with his ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Walk Two Moons

    by Sharon Creech
    A young girl embarks on a road trip with her grandparents to find her missing mother, while reflecting on her own life and relationships.

    The novel is narrated by a 13-year-old girl named Salamanca (Sal). Sal's mother has recently left Sal's father, and Sal's grandparents are taking her on a cross-country car trip to Lewiston, Idaho to ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Kitten's First Full Moon

    by Kevin Henkes
    A young kitten's misadventure when she mistakes the full moon for a bowl of milk.

    The nationally bestselling picture book about a kitten, the moon, and a bowl of milk, written by the celebrated author and illustrator Kevin Henkes, was awarded a Caldecott Medal. From one of the ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Snowy Day

    by Ezra Jack Keats
    A young boy's joyous exploration of the world on a winter's day.

    Peter, The Snowy Day's protagonist, wakes up to the season’s first snowfall. In his bright red snowsuit, he goes outside and makes footprints and trails through the snow. Peter is too young to join a ... (Wikipedia)

  18. One Crazy Summer

    by Rita Williams-Garcia
    A young girl's summer adventure in Oakland, California, as she learns about her family's past.

    Delphine, aged eleven, Vonetta, nine, and Fern, seven, live with their father and grandmother in Brooklyn , New York. However, the girls’ father sends them to Oakland, California one summer to stay ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Esperanza Rising

    by Pam Muñoz Ryan
    A young girl from a wealthy Mexican family is forced to flee to California during the Great Depression and learns to adapt to a new life as a farm worker.

    Esperanza is a child in Aguascalientes , Mexico, daughter of wealthy landowner Sixto Ortega. She lives on her family's ranch, El Rancho de la Rosas, with her mother, father, and grandmother Abuelita. ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key

    by Jack Gantos
    A young boy's struggles with ADHD, as he navigates an often-chaotic world.

    The book describes the life of a child named Joey Pigza who frequently gets into trouble at school due to his erratic behavior. He has a habit of swallowing a key attached to a piece of string in ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The City of Ember

    by Jeanne DuPrau
    A city on the brink of destruction, two young people race against time to unlock its secrets.

    As the book starts off, a coalition of architects, scientists, and doctors known as "The Builders" have built Ember, an isolated, underground city with enough supplies for its inhabitants to survive ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Rules

    by Cynthia Lord
    A young girl's attempt to make peace with her family's dynamic and her autistic brother.

    This Newbery Honor Book is a heartfelt and witty story about feeling different and finding acceptance–beyond the rules. Twelve-year-old Catherine just wants a normal life. Which is near impossible ... (Goodreads)

  23. A Single Shard

    by Linda Sue Park
    A young orphan boy in 12th century Korea dreams of becoming a potter and sets out on a journey to prove himself.

    Tree-ear is an orphan who lives under a bridge with Crane-man, a physically disabled man who took him in when Tree-ear was only a small child. Tree-ear is fascinated with the nearby potters in his ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Moon Over Manifest

    by Clare Vanderpool
    A young girl's adventure through 1920s America, uncovering family secrets and finding her identity.

    The main character in the book is Abilene Tucker, a nice, adventurous girl from 1936. Her father sent her to a small town called Manifest, Kansas while he worked a railroad job somewhere else. She ... (Wikipedia)

  25. A Sick Day for Amos McGee

    by Philip C. Stead
    A zookeeper and his animal friends learn the value of friendship and compassion.

    Amos McGee is a punctual man who goes about his day the same way every day. He swings his legs out of bed, puts on a fresh uniform and hops on the #5 bus at 6:00 AM to go to the zoo . While at the ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Higher Power of Lucky

    by Susan Patron
    A young girl's journey of self-discovery, learning the power of resilience and hope.

    The novel features Lucky, a 10-year-old girl who lives in a small town called Hard Pan (population 43) in the California desert with her two friends Lincoln, who is an avid knot tyer and expected by ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The View from Saturday

    by E.L. Konigsburg
    Four sixth graders and their teacher compete in a trivia contest, revealing their unique stories and bond.

    How has Mrs. Olinski chosen her sixth-grade Academic Bowl team? She had a number of answers. But were any of them true? How had she really chosen Noah and Nadia and Ethan and Julian? And why did they ... (Goodreads)

  28. Tuck Everlasting

    by Natalie Babbitt
    A young girl discovers the secret of a family that has found the key to eternal life.

    12-year-old Winifred "Winnie" Foster is frustrated with her family because they keep her cooped up in the house, and considers running away from her home in rural Treegap. One day, while in a wooded ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Al Capone Does My Shirts

    by Gennifer Choldenko
    A boy moves to Alcatraz Island in 1935, where his father works as a prison guard, and navigates life with a sister on the autism spectrum.

    Moose Flanagan and his family composed of father Cam, mother Helen, and sister Natalie move from Santa Monica to Alcatraz Island in 1935. The move was caused by Cam's new job as an electrician and ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

    by Bill Martin Jr.
    A playful story of letters competing to climb a coconut tree.

    The 26 characters in this rhythmic, rhyming baby book are a lowercase alphabet with attitude. "A told b, and b told c, 'I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree'"–which probably seemed like a ... (Goodreads)