1. This narrative serves as an excellent starting point for both individual and group research projects on the Depression era. Students can explore various topics such as the 1929 stock market crash, rising unemployment, soup kitchens, hobo camps, the Dust Bowl, or President Roosevelt's numerous government initiatives. Utilizing resources like the library, newspaper archives, films, and photographic documentaries, students can compile comprehensive reports.

2. Encourage students to interview older family members and acquaintances to gather personal recollections of the Great Depression. These interviews can be compiled into an oral history collection and bound into a book.

3. Investigate the music of the Depression era. Guiding questions: How did jazz originate? What set jazz apart from other musical genres? Who were some of the notable jazz musicians of that time? How is jazz connected to contemporary music? What other musical styles were popular in the 1930s?

4. Select a minor character to further develop and expand the story. For instance, speculate on Bugs' fate. Where did Deza Malone and her family go after the Hooverville was destroyed? What was Jerry's experience like in the foster home he was sent to?

5. Have students write in their reading journals about Bud as a homeless child. Guiding questions: What emotions, feelings, or mental images did his situation evoke for you? How does Bud's plight compare to homelessness in today's society? If you were in Bud's place, what actions would you have taken?

6. Conduct an Internet search on the author Christopher Paul Curtis, exploring his life and body of work.

7. As a group project, create a story map tracing Bud's journey from Flint to Grand Rapids.

8. As a group project, have students create an "open mind" portrait of one of the adult characters, such as Miss Thomas, Herman E. Calloway, Mr. Jimmy, or Steady Eddie. Mrs. Amos could also be a good subject.

9. As a group project, have students create a "sketch to stretch" portrait of the story using symbols that represent the plot and Bud's character.

10. Write a short essay comparing Bud with Billie Jo from Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. How are the characters similar? How are they different? What differences or similarities exist in the tone of the two books?

11. Write a sequel or extension to Bud, Not Buddy that features his alter ego, Sleepy LaBone. What happens to him next?

12. Curtis references the auto workers' sit-down strike in Detroit and the impending unionization of the Pullman porters. Have students research these events and compare them to similar situations in the twenty-first century.

13. Have students choose a character, such as Deza, Bugs, or Jerry, and write letters to Bud about their lives and experiences since they last saw him. Have other students take on the character of Bud and write replies.

14. Write a skit detailing the conversation between Miss Thomas and Herman E. Calloway behind closed doors.

15. Write an extension of the story that describes the Amos family's reaction upon discovering Bud's disappearance.