Bud, Not Buddy

Terminology and comprehension

questions

chapter 1
caseworker - a social worker assigned to find homes for
orphans
foster home - a temporary home in which orphans go until they
are adopted
"doggoned" - slang for "darn"; used to emphasize how bad
something is
The Great Depression - an era of severe economic crisis during
the 1930's in which many people were jobless or homeless;
said to be caused by the Stock Market Crash of 1929
Flint - a city in Michigan, the fourth largest city in the state;
located along the Flint River

chapter 2
locomotive - a railroad engine; a train
"kiss my wrist" - a saying used by Bud meaning "think twice"
John Dillinger - an infamous gangster of the 1920's and 30's; listed
as Public Enemy Number One on the FBI's Most Wanted List for
bank robbery
cream puffs - a baked sweet with cream in the middle
Brer Rabbit - the hero of Uncle Remus stories derived from AfricanAmerican folktales
icebox - an early name for a refrigerator; a wood box in which
blocks of ice were kept to keep food chilled

chapter 3
whilst - an outdated expression meaning "while"
Louisville Slugger - a baseball bat
Paul Bunyan - a mythical lumberjack in American
tall tales; said to be an enormous hero traveling
with an equally large blue ox named Babe
Paul Robeson - an African-American actor,
author, and activist; one of the most prolific
black actors of his time

chapter 4
Public Enemy Number One - the top criminal on the
FBI's Most Wanted List; at the time the novel takes
place, John Dillinger was considered Public Enemy
Number One
J. Edgar Hoover - founder and director of the FBI
FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation; began in 1908
as the primary investigators of crime and terrorism
in the United States
"on the lamb" - slang for "on the run"

Chapter 4
What does Bud do to get revenge on Todd?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
To get revenge on Todd, Bud decides to get
Todd to wet his bed. Bud first tried dipping
Toddys finders in a warm cup of water.
When that didnt work, he poured the
whole cup on his pants. Satisfied with the
result, bud left the Amoss thinking, He
who laughs last laughs best.

chapter 5
Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Pretty Boy Floyd; a
bank robber and killer on the FBIs Most Wanted List
The Real McCoy the real McCoy is an idiom for the
real thing; its origins are unknown
twenty-five gallon hat similar to the legendary tengallon hat, a legendary cowboy hat; it is depicted as
being extremely tall
telegraph a type of communication system through
wires used before the telephone was invented
mission a building or group of buildings run by a
religious organization; often a center to help the needy

Chapter 5
According to Bud, why was Momma upset in
the picture? (p.39-40)
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
Buds mom was upset in the picture because of
the huge cowboy hat that her father made her
wear. She had told Bud all about how filthy
she thought the hat was. She disliked the
photographer, as well, and felt sorry for the
poor horse. She never understood why her
father insisted on having that picture made.

Chapter 6
What are the pretend Poppa and Pretend Momma
doing for Bud?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
They are pretending that Bud is part of their family.
When Bud arrived at the mission for breakfast, the
line was already closed. He was being turned away
from having a meal when the Pretend Poppa
stepped in, called Bud Clarence, and told the
strap man that his son was just returning from the
restroom. By doing so, Bud received warm oatmeal
to hold him over until the next day.

Chapter 7
At the end of the chapter Bud realizes that a door has
closed. To what door is he referring? What does he
know will happen next? (p.59)
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
The door that Bud is referring to is
the library door. He went to the library to find Ms. Hill,
but she had gotten married and moved. Therefore,
he needs to find other means of getting help. Bud
states, That library door closing after I walked out
was the exact kind of door Momma had told me
about. Bud knows now that another door is about
to open as he continues his search for his father.

chapter 8
cardboard jungle an area of shacks and huts
inhabited by homeless people
Mouth organ a harmonica
Hoovervilles a collection of huts and shacks at
the edge of a city, housing the homeless in the
1930s; named after President Herbert Hoover
Herbert Hoover the 31st President of the
United States; blamed for societys problems
during the Great Depression

chapter 8
Billy Goats Gruff The Three Billy Goats Gruff is a
traditional fairy tale in which three goats try to cross a
bridge guarded by a troll
The Fox and the Grapes a fable attributed to Aesop in
which a fox cannot reach grapes hanging high in a tree;
the moral is that it is easy to hate what we cannot have
The Dog That Saw His Reflection in the Water Aesops
fable in which a dog sees another dog holding a bone in
a reflection in the river; the dog wants the bone and goes
after it, causing him to drown; the moral is that you
should not let go of what you have in order to go after
something that may not really be there

chapter 8 - continued
boxcar an enclosed railway car
billy club a long stick used by police
Shantytowns small towns of very low-cost homes, usually
made of scraps of wood or cardboard
Commies a derogatory term for Communists; Communism
is a type of government in which property is believed to be
held by the common society
Big Little Books a series of compact books published b
the Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin.
Gangbusters one of the series of Big Little Books; first
printed in 1938; later became a radio program; stories of
dramatic police case histories

Chapter
8
What does the man mean when he says, this here is
the Flint version? (p.66)
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
When the mouth organ man says, this here is the Flint
version, he is referring to
the Hooverville in Flint, Michigan. Bud and Bugs were
looking for a city named Hooperville, which was
really Hooverville. They thought that there was only
one city named that. There were Hoovervilles all
over the United States. These were cardboard jungle
areas in towns where the poor and homeless lived.
They were named such after President Hoover.

chapter 9
Grand Rapids a
city in Michigan; the
second largest city
in the state
Jack Robinson a
make-believe
person; indicates a
very short amount of
time

Chapter
9

p.89
What kind of books did Buds mom prefer? Why do
you think this? What kind of books did Bud prefer?
Why do you think this? (p.89)
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
Buds mom preferred mysteries and fairy tales
while Bud liked books about the Civil War. The
librarian recalled that Bud and his mother had
different tastes in books when they used to check
out books from Ms. Hill. Buds mom used to tell
Bud fairy tales when he went to bed, so thats
probably why she preferred to read them to tell
them to Bud as bedtime stories.

chapter 10
pop a short name for
soda pop; a carbonated
beverage
Baby Face Nelson Lester
Joseph Gillis; a bank robber
and member of the Dillinger
gang
FBIs Ten Most Wanted List
The Federal Bureau of
Investigations list of the ten
most dangerous criminals in
the United States

Chapter 10 p.104

What lie does Bud tell the man? What does

he hope his lie will accomplish for him?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
Bud tells the man that he is from Grand
Rapids. He hopes his lie will get him to Grand
Rapids versus back to Flint. Bud was hoping
that if Lefty put him on bus, it would be to
Grand Rapids, Buds destination. He thought
that an adult who finds him would return him
to his home thus the lie about Grand Rapids.

Dorothea
Dandridge

chapter 11

Big War a slang term for World War I

George Washington Carver an African-American
scientist; known for transforming southern
agriculture by introducing products made by
peanuts and sweet potatoes, easing the reliance on
cotton farming
Tuskegee, Alabama where George Washington
Carver worked as the director of the Department of
Agricultural Research
boo slang term meaning anything or
nothing
Pullman Porter a porter is employed to carry
peoples luggage at a railroad station; Pullman
porters were employed by the Pullman company;
by the 1920s, more African-American men were
working as Pullman Porters than any other job

Chapter 11 p.110

Why does the man have human blood in

his car?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
The man has human blood in his car
because he is taking it to a hospital in Flint,
Michigan. The man explains that the blood
is for someone having surgery at Hurley
Hospital. This explains to Bud why the
man has human blood in his car, and its
not because hes a vampire!

chapter 12
Western Union - a money transfer
company started in the 1850s
telegram a message sent by
telegraph

Machine Gun
Kelly

Machine Gun Kelly George

Kelly Barnes; bank robber and
gangster wanted by the FBI
Al Capone Alphonse Capone;
notorious gangster known for
terrorizing Chicago in the 1920s
labor organizer a person who
tries to get workers united and
organized in order to get improved
working conditions and benefits

Al Scarface Capone

chapter 12 - continued
Packard a brand of luxury car;
first made in 1890 by the
Packard Motor Company
ethyl a form of fuel for cars;
used from the 1920s to the
1950s
Ku Kluxer slang for a member
of the Ku Klux Klan, an
organized group of whites
seeking supremacy over other
races
John Brown a white abolitionist
who was hung for treason for his
beliefs

1936 Packard

John Brown

KKK

Chapter 12 p. 141
What deal does Bud make with Mr. Lewis to keep him
from coming in to The Log Cabin? Why do you think Bud
doesnt want the men to meet each other?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
The deal that Bud made with Mr. Lewis to keep him from
coming in to The Log Cabin was to give Bud five minutes
to talk to his dad alone. Lefty was afraid that Bud would
try to run away again, so he held on to Buds suitcase
until Bud returned. Bud didnt want the two men to
meet because Lefty would find out that Bud had lied to
him. Bud originally told Lefty that he had run away from
Grand Rapids, not Flint. If the two men were to meet,
they would find that Bud had lied to Lefty, and Herman
E. Calloway might put Bud back in to the group home.

chapter 13
Sam Hill an expression for heck
bread and butter an expression that means
something is a persons main source of income
mean old coot an expression after the coot, an
aggressive, territorial bird
play the dozens to hurl insults back and forth in
a sort of game; to tease
stuff and craws similar to stuff ourselves; a
craw is another name for an animals throat or
stomach

Chapter 13 p. 146,
Why is everyone
having
such &
a difficult
time believing
147,
150
158
that Mr. Calloway is Buds father?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
Everyone is having such a difficult time believing that
Mr. Calloway is Buds father because of how old Herman
is. Jimmy says, Bud, you got to understand Mr.
Calloway here cant be your daddy, nohow, no way,
nuh-uh. Then Thug asks, Was your momma as old as
sand when she had you? Based on these comments, I
would infer that Mr. Calloway is pretty old, too old to be
Buds father. Even Bud states, My dads face was real
oldmaybe too old. Butthere was just too much
proof that this was my father!

chapter 14
Blind Lemon Jefferson a blind blues
singer and guitarist from Texas; popular
during the 1920s and 30s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h3y
d-c91ww8

Chapter 14 p. 166,
What kinds of 167,
things does168
Bud get excited about in
his first restaurant experience?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
In Buds first restaurant experience, he got excited
over being able to order whatever you wanted.
Hes used to just being served what was cooked
either at the orphanage or the mission. Then Bud
noticed that Mr. Jimmy and Steady Eddie ordered
different items, too, that everyone ordered his own
separate meal. Bud commented, No wonder you
hear about rich folks going to restaurants once a
week, this was great!

chapter 15
Grand Central Station a train station in
New York City, New York; currently
serves nearly 600,000 visitors per day
YMCA Young Mens Christian
Association; originally founded in London
in 1844 in response to poor living
conditions; in 1853 the first AfricanAmerican YMCA was founded in
Washington, D.C.; work for social change
and help underprivileged youth

Chapter 15
What is your reaction to the way Mr.
Calloway is treating Bud?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format

chapter 16
outhouse an outdoor toilet
Loudean possibly Calloways feminine
nickname for the car (refers to plugs,
which may be spark plugs
moving pictures an early term for
cinema, motion pictures, or movies

Chapter
16
What nickname does the band finally decide to
name Bud? How does Bud feel about it? (p. 196197)
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
The nickname that the band gives Bud is Sleepy la
Bone. Bud feels excited because he states, that
was about the best name Id every heard in my
life! He also said that it was the kind of name that
would make him forget that he had ever been
called Buddy. Bud is going to work twice as hard as
the other band members to prove he can live up to
his new nickname.

chapter 17
Twenty Thousand Leaks Under the Sea
Bud is referring to Twenty Thousands
Leagues Under the Sea, a science fiction
novel by Jules Verne.
Captain Nemo the protagonist in Vernes
Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
Niagara Falls giant waterfalls located on the
Niagara River, on the border between New
York and Canada; a popular tourist spot

chapter 18

eighty-eights a slang term for piano

silver dollar a silver coin worth one
dollar; not commonly used today

Chapter 18
What does Mr. C have in his glove
compartment? How are they special? (pp.
208-210)
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format
Mr. Calloway has rocks in his glove
compartment that have places and dates
on them. They are special because

chapter 19
peanuts slang for a very small amount
of money
pawnshop an establishment in which
personal property can be left as security
in exchange for a loan of money

Chapter 19
What does Bud say to his mothers picture?
How is here we go again different this
time?
Answer in the R.A.C.E. format