The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 | Christopher Paul Curtis

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 | Christopher Paul Curtis | Marvelous account

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The Watsons Go to ...

	The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 Christopher Paul Curtis Laurel Leaf, 2000 - 224 pages average customer review:based on 625 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A wonderful middle-grade novel narrated by Kenny, 9, about his middle-class black family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. When Kenny's 13-year-old brother, Byron, gets to be too much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person who can shape him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's church is blown up.

THE VERY BEST BOOK!!!

This is my favorite book! The Watsons Go To Birmingham had me laughing out loud. The book is very clever and has great use of figurative language. I have read many books by Christopher Paul Curtis, but this one is his best! Buy it!!!

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Marvelous account

An incredible and moving experience on the infamous Birmingham bombing. Despite the historical connection, there is still a strong family vibe going on here through marvelous characters. So much of it is funny and real and all-too-true to families, but there are timeless themes of segregation and racism and all the pain involved with this time period.

WONDERFUL BOOK

This book is a must read for people of all ages. The relationships and insight of an African-American family during the 1960's is exceptional. I highly recommend it for grades 3rd-8th.

A Great Read

The Watson Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Copyright 1995
Fry Reading Level: 7th grade
Pages: 210
Genre: Juvenile Fiction

The author builds up anticipation of the much-expected trip of the Watson family to Birmingham, Alabama. The first half of the book allows the reader to become familiar with the family. Curtis uses humor to engage the reader and provide a highly positive tone about the African American family that lives in Flint, Michigan. The dynamics of the family appear to be usual. There are the parents, one from Flint and the other from Birmingham. The two brothers Kenny (the narrator) and Byron have an interesting love-hate relationship. Kenny is cross-eyed but very bright and respected by teachers at their school. Byron is the "King" of the school, yet he is in danger of repeating grades. Although Byron is the coolest guy in the school this reputation does not affect the relationship of Kenny and the other children. Kenny remains the smart boy with the eye problem that teases his older brother when he has an opportunity to win that upward battle. Joetta is the smallest Watson. Her personality is determined and strong even as she challenges her mother about burning Byron's fingers because he has a pyromaniac period in the household. The relationships between each family member is revealed as the parents, determined to save their wayward son- Byron, plan a trip to Birmingham to show their children how the world really works for African Americans.
The book is an easy-read for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The book is not recommended to teach structure or correct grammar. There are some words that are intentionally mis-spelled to help with the tone of the author and the mood of the book. When the family uses southern slang and encounters that when they arrive in Birmingham the grammar is really bad. Students should be aware of the figurative language that is used in the book, as well as the humorous purposes of certain phrases. Foul language and cursing is used in the book particularly with Byron and his mischievous friend Buphead. It is not encouraged to have younger readers use this book due to the certain level of maturity necessary to accept the language and its purpose- to entertain.
This book is highly recommended. The author uses vocabulary and imagery to humor and entertain the reader. A shift does take place when the family arrives in Birmingham and the children notice the differences between Michigan and Alabama. The church in the black community is blown up; an active hate crime against the African American community. The author captures the dynamic of the African American family well and portrays positive and caring relationships between the parents and the children throughout the novel.

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Great for Kids and even adults!

Birmingham, Alabama in 1963 was still troubled by the violence and was in the heart of the civil rights movement. The author has dedicated this book to four African American girls who died in the Church bombing in Birmingham of that year. The author in his first novel which is an impressive achievement writes about life in Flint, Michigan and growing up there in the wintertime in 1963. His mother would rather raise the family in the warm south, particularly her home state of Alabama. The book is really written for young adults but any adult can read this book and appreciate the realistic dialogue and situations of the Watsons, an African American family, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement.

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