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Why does Mrs. Sleet hit Lefty Lewis with a wooden spoon in "Bud, Not Buddy"?

Quick answer:

Mrs. Sleet hits Lefty Lewis with a wooden spoon because she is tired of him making jokes about her cooking. During breakfast, Lefty humorously criticizes her pancakes, calling them "paincakes," which prompts Mrs. Sleet to playfully retaliate by hitting him on the head with a wooden spoon to stop his teasing. This interaction highlights the family's playful and affectionate dynamic.

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In Chapter 11, Lefty Lewis drives Bud Caldwell to his daughter's house in Flint, Michigan. Bud spends the night at Mrs. Sleet's house and joins her family for breakfast the next morning. Lefty Lewis makes fun of his grandchildren and daughter's cooking during breakfast, and the family jokes with each other throughout the meal. Towards the end of the meal, Lefty says that he once brought a friend back to Flint, and he ate four of Mrs. Sleet's pancakes. Lefty says his friend held his stomach the entire ride back to Grands Rapids, and his friend told Lefty that Mrs. Sleet made "paincakes," and not pancakes (Curtis 128). Mrs. Sleet laughs then goes into the kitchen. Kim urges her grandfather to tell Bud how many times his friend vomited on the ride back. Before Lefty Lewis can answer, Mrs. Sleet walks out of the kitchen and "whops" him on the head with a wooden spoon. Mrs. Sleet was sick of her father cracking jokes about her cooking and decided to hit him on the head with a wooden spoon to make him quit telling jokes.

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