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What is the main idea for Bud, Not Buddy chapter 7?

I'm a bit unsure of what exactly you mean by main idea. The question might be asking for a general summary or a general theme. I will briefly go over both.  

Chapter seven begins with Bud going to the library. He is attempting to find Miss Hill. Bud searches the entire library, but he can't find her. Bud is forced to ask a different librarian where Miss Hill is. The librarian responds by saying, "Miss Hill? My goodness, hadn't you heard?" Bud immediately informs his readers of rule number 16.



If a Grown-up Ever Starts a Sentence by Saying "Haven't You Heard," Get Ready, 'Cause What's About to Come Out of Their Mouth Is Gonna Drop You Headfirst into a Boiling Tragedy.


It seems like the answer to "Haven't you heard" always has something to do with someone kicking the bucket.



Bud assumes that Miss Hill has died in some gruesome and tragic way. Fortunately that is not the case. Miss Hill is now a Mrs. She got married and moved to Chicago. The librarian helps Bud calculate how long it would take to walk there: too long. Disappointed, Bud leaves the library with no real plan of what to do next.


Thematically, chapter seven is about doors opening and closing. Earlier in the book, Bud told his readers what his mom said about metaphorical doors being closed and opened.



"And Bud, I want you always to remember, no matter how bad things look to you, no matter how dark the night, when one door closes, don't worry, because another door opens."



Miss Hill leaving Flint (and Bud) is a door being closed on Bud. He doesn't know where to go next, and Miss Hill can no longer help him find direction. It should feel like a depressing chapter ending, but it doesn't feel like that. That's because Bud ends the chapter by telling his readers that he knows another door is about to open. He is so confident in that hope that he falls right to sleep with little to no stress.



That library door closing after I walked out was the exact kind of door Momma had told me about. I knew that since it had closed the next one was about to open.


I went back under my tree and before I knew it I was asleep.



The chapter ends in a hopeful way.

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