1999, New York: Delacorte Press.
ISBN: 0385323069
239 pages
Annotation: An African-American orphan leaves Flint, Michigan to search for his father during the Great Depression.
Summary: Since the death of his mother, Bud Caldwell has been living in an orphanage in Flint, Michigan. Bud does not like the orphanage, despite the fact that he had already been in three foster homes, he learns that he must pack up for yet another home with the Amoses. His new foster home does not end up being a good place for him and he runs away. While running away he finds a friend, “Bugs”, and they both head to Chicago. Bud is left behind in their attempt to hop the train heading that way. He becomes determined to find his real father with the only clue he has, an old flyer of a jazz band that was left in his suitcase by his mother before she died. He uses the flyer to find the man named on the flyer and is convinced that the man on the flyer is his father. The man ends up being Bud’s grandfather.
Rank: 2.5 Stars
