The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis Date of Publication: 1995 ISBN: 0385321759 Number of Pages: 206

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: Average/High Intermediate: Average
GENRES: Historical Fiction
THEMES : Good versus Evil - Life versus Death - FamilyPrejudice - Loyalty - Appearance versus Reality - Coming of Age - Survival - Isolation

SUMMARY:
It’s 1963 and the civil rights movement is taking hold in the South. Kenny Watson lives in Flint, Michigan with his younger sister Joetta, older brother Byron and his Momma and Dad. Kenny, who is ten years old, recounts the humour and struggles growing up with a sometimes overbearing brother. Unfortunately, Byron has found himself in one too many bad situations, so Momma, who was born and bred in Alabama, decides that Byron would be better off staying with Grandma Sands. That summer, the Watsons travel in their beloved Brown Bomber to Birmingham.Things begin to heat up once the Watsons are in Birmingham. Kenny has a close call, the Watsons come face-to-face with the real horrors of racism, and their lives are never, ever the same again...

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- enjoys humour
- likes stories about “real kids” in “real situations”
- is interested in the civil rights movement
- likes historical fiction
- enjoys works by Christopher Paul Curtis
- likes stories with dialect in them

WHAT ELSE?
This book was chosen as a Coretta Scott King Honor Book, a Newbery Honor Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and received other awards as well.

RELATED LINK:
For other novels and works by the author, as well as teacher resources, check out http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/curtis.htm