Another Book Haunting

Another that has always seemed to pop up in libraries when I'm around is Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Lee Curtis. I've been thinking it's a boring book all these years and haven't bothered to read it, but I decided it would be good to get off that list. It's actually a great story.
It's about Bud (not Buddy, obviously) who lives during the Great Depression, a time when things were pretty bad for white people, but REALLY bad for most black people. Bud lives in a home because his mother died and he doesn't know who his dad is. But he has a hint: his mother left him flyers with Herman E. Calloway and his band on them, and he thinks Mr. Calloway could be his father.
So after the home sends him to a new family and his "brother" beats him up and blames it on him so his "mother" locks him in a shed and he runs away, Bud decides he's had enough. He heads to the library to figure out how far away Herman Calloway is and walks there. He figures it's about twenty-four hours of walking, so he starts at night to get that part over with. On the way, though, he meets some unusual people. What's even crazier is who Mr. Calloway actually is...
Bud has a great sense of humor in this book, I think that was my favorite part. He grew up poor, or at least in his first ten years he did, so he's never seen indoor plumbing or been to a restaurant and done other things normal people took for granted. So he's amazed when he meets Mr. Calloway and gets to live the rich life, although working the toilet turns out to be tricky. I loved this book though. Wow, it seems like all my book hauntings were actually for a good reason!
Another part I like is how Buddy talks. When something happens without meaning too, he always says, "whoop, zoop, sloop!" It's really cool, kind of like his catch phrase. I totally recommend this book, even though it's at like a third grade reading level. It's great for everyone.