Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963

Curtis, Christopher Paul

ISBN 10: 0780777336 ISBN 13: 9780780777330

Publisher: Turtleback Books, 1997

Synopsis

Enter the hilarious world of 10-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, Kenny, and Byron, who's 13 and an official "juvenile delinquent." When Momma and Dad decide it's time for a visit to Grandma, Dad comes home with the amazing Ultra Glide, and the Watsons set out on a trip like no other. They're heading south. They're going to Birmingham, Alabama, toward one of the darkest moments in American history.

About this title

Review

The year is 1963, and self-important Byron Watson is the bane of his younger brother Kenny's existence. Constantly in trouble for one thing or another, from straightening his hair into a "conk" to lighting fires to freezing his lips to the mirror of the new family car, Byron finally pushes his family too far. Before this "official juvenile delinquent" can cut school or steal change one more time, Momma and Dad finally make good on their threat to send him to the deep south to spend the summer with his tiny, strict grandmother. Soon the whole family is packed up, ready to make the drive from Flint, Michigan, straight into one of the most chilling moments in America's history: the burning of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church with four little girls inside.

Christopher Paul Curtis's alternately hilarious and deeply moving novel, winner of the Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott King Honor, blends the fictional account of an African American family with the factual events of the violent summer of 1963. Fourth grader Kenny is an innocent and sincere narrator; his ingenuousness lends authenticity to the story and invites readers of all ages into his world, even as it changes before his eyes. Curtis is also the acclaimed author of Bud, Not Buddy, winner of the Newbery Medal. (Ages 9 to 12) --Emilie Coulter

From the Back Cover

"An exceptional first novel."
--Publishers Weekly, Starred, Boxed Review

"Superb . . . a warmly memorable evocation of an African American family." --The Horn Book Magazine, Starred

"Marvelous . . . both comic and deeply moving."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Ribald humor . . . and a totally believable child's view of the world will make this book an instant hit."--School Library Journal, Starred

Edition details

• Publisher: Turtleback Books
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0780777336
• ISBN 13: 9780780777330
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 210