I don't remember if I ever read this book when I was a kid. It was published in 1999, so right as I was at the cusp of leaving the children's book world, and I don't really remember it. I did have the impression that it was going to be sad, so I was hesitant to read it. But I actually really, really enjoyed it. I really loved Bud's character and his personality. He was such a funny and optimistic kid, even when things were really not working out for him and everything just kept going worse and worse. He seemed like he knew things were going to work out somehow, and never despaired, even when he was sad. I loved how dedicated he was to his mother as well, and how all of his most meaningful possessions and memories were from her. That was the part that really got to me and made me tear up, was when he was remembering her and when it was showing how truly meaningful that relationship with his mother was. I was definitely rooting for him the whole time and really excited for him to figure out where he came from. I really enjoyed the story and the look into the Depression, and I thought it was even better that the author used his own family history as the basis of some of the characters. A few of the scenes seemed like they'd been thrown in just to make the book more of a "Depression" book--like the scene with the Hooverville and the people getting on the train--but I didn't mind it too much. Overall, Bud himself was the best part of this book, and made the whole story worth the read.
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