Books like…

Books Like Bud, Not Buddy

by Christopher Paul Curtis · about this book

Loved Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis? If its historical fiction, absent parent and orphans hooked you, these 20 books hit the same notes — starting with James and the Giant Peach, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Secret Life of Bees. Every pick is matched by what’s actually inside the book, not just its genre, and we skip other books by the same author so you find someone new.

What’s inside Bud, Not Buddy: Historical Fiction · Absent Parent · Orphans · Child Narrator · First Person Narrator

1. 

   James and the Giant Peach

   Roald Dahl

   Children's · Middle Grade · Uplifting · Charming · Death of a Parent

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2. 

   The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

   Mark Twain

   Child Narrator · Racism · Coming of Age · Absent Parent · First Person Narrator

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3. 

   The Secret Life of Bees

   Sue Monk Kidd

   Grief Over a Parent · Racism · Death of a Parent · Coming of Age · Heartwarming

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4. 

   Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

   J. K. Rowling

   Middle Grade · Charming · Coming of Age · Death of a Parent · Absent Parent

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5. 

   The High King

   Lloyd Alexander

   Rite of Passage · Middle Grade · Coming of Age · Quest Narrative · Underdog

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6. 

   The Neverending Story

   Michael Ende

   Middle Grade · Quest Narrative · Underdog · Father and Son · Uplifting

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7. 

   The House in the Cerulean Sea

   Tj Klune

   Foster Care · Uplifting · Heartwarming · Charming · Hopeful

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8. 

   The Wild Robot

   Peter Brown

   Middle Grade · Children's · Heartwarming · Hopeful · Charming

   ➕ Add Buy Libby Hoopla
9. 

   The Phantom Tollbooth

   Norton Juster

   Middle Grade · Children's · Quest Narrative · Uplifting · Charming

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10. 

    The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

    Robert Dugoni

    Underdog · Hopeful · Coming of Age · Racism · Male Lead

    ➕ Add Buy Libby Hoopla
11. 

    Cutting for Stone

    Abraham Verghese

    Absent Parent · Father and Son · Death of a Parent · Coming of Age · Historical Fiction

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12. 

    The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

    Lyman Frank Baum

    Children's · Middle Grade · Quest Narrative · Charming · Heartwarming

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13. 

    The Red Pyramid

    Rick Riordan

    Middle Grade · Absent Parent · Quest Narrative · Father and Son · Death of a Parent

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14. 

    The Way of the Warrior

    Chris Bradford

    Middle Grade · Underdog · Death of a Parent · Coming of Age · Grief Over a Parent

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15. 

    The List of Things That Will Not Change

    Rebecca Stead

    Middle Grade · Heartwarming · Child Narrator · Coming of Age · Hopeful

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16. 

    Little

    Edward Carey

    Underdog · Historical Fiction · Coming of Age · Death of a Parent · First Person Narrator

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17. 

    Demon Copperhead

    Barbara Kingsolver

    Foster Care · Absent Parent · Death of a Parent · Coming of Age · First Person Narrator

    ➕ Add Buy Libby Hoopla
18. 

    Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal

    Jeff Kinney

    Child Narrator · Middle Grade · Children's · Charming · First Person Narrator

    ➕ Add Buy Libby Hoopla
19. 

    Nowhere Boy

    Katherine Marsh

    Middle Grade · Grief Over a Parent · Father and Son · Hopeful · Death of a Parent

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20. 

    Chains

    Laurie Halse Anderson

    Middle Grade · Racism · Historical Fiction · Underdog · First Person Narrator

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