About this title: Nine-year-old Kenny narrates this story about his middle-class, African-American family and their 1963 trip from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama. The trip's purpose is two-fold--to visit their grandmother, and to get Kenny's older brother away from the rough crowd he has been running with. Sadly, racism rears its ugly head as the family travels through the South, eventually culminating in the bombing of Kenny's grandmother's church while his younger sister and many others are inside.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780590690140ISBN:0590690140
Description: Good. Spine is creased. Covers show wear at the edges and corners. Good reading copy. Binding is Trade Paperback. Pages tanning. Used books may have price stickers. Most orders ship on the next business day. read more
Description: Very Good. 044022800X 100% guaranteed. Very good shape with a tight spine, clean cover, sharp corners, clean pages, and little wear. We work hard to make you happy. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780590690140ISBN:0590690140
Description: Good. -7th Print--210 pages. Interior-flawless. The covers have light signs of aging. -Publish Place: New York-Size: 12mo-over 6¾"-7¾" tall. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Scholastic
Date Published: 1998
ISBN-13:9780590690140ISBN:0590690140
Description: Good. -14th Printing--210 pgs. Interior-Nice overall condition. The soft cover has only light signs of use. -Publish Place: New York-Size: 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Yearling Books
Date Published: 1997
ISBN-13:9780440414124ISBN:0440414121
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. trade pb, 17a2, minor shelf/edge wear, crease on cover. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: Children/juvenile. read more
"Kenny Watson's has a brother, Byron, who is getting into trouble all the time. From stealing food to playing with matches to getting his lips stuck to a frozen car, Byron is a typical teenager. Soon, his parents have had enough of Byron's "nonsense" and drive the whole family to Birmingham, Alabama, to have Byron live with his grandmother for the summer. But what the Watson family encounters in Birmingham will change their lives forever.
I liked the levels of this book, from the funny moments to the sober moments, and also gives a lot of good opportunities for discussion. Also, Levar Burton reads the audio version and does a fantastic job! A great listen for all ages!"
"This book was very different than what I expected. The reviews say it is about the bombing incident at the 16th St. Baptist church in Alabama in 1963, and it is in part; but the bombing doesn't happen until page 183 and there are only 206 pages in the book. The story is REALLY about a family and their admitted quirkiness. There are really funny scenes that are so inherent to African American culture. The characters are very live and funny.
I had a few problems with the book. Byron was supposed to be left in Alabama because of his behavior problems. Unless I missed it, Byron returns to Michigan with no explanation.
In the last 20 pages, the book departs from what it seemed to be. There is a first person near drowning where the protagonist sees his sister as his angel. Then when his sister is saved from the bomb, it is attributed to a paranormal/angel interference--which justly leaves the protagonist so shaken, that he basically lives behind the couch in the living room until his brother helps him resolve his issues.
Overall the characterization was fun--that the bottom dropped out for me at the end, did not interfere with it as an enjoyable reading experience."
"What would you do if you were an African American taking a trip to Birmingham, Alabama? Would you be worried? Excited? Scared to death? Well, throughout this book you experience an African American family driving down to Alabama. Kenny Watson, one of the 'Weird Watsons' is a ten-year-old boy. His family and he live in Flint, Michigan during 1963. The Watsons are a very funny, happy family. They don't live in a place where they are discriminated against strongly, so the children don't know what racism can cause. But, when Kenny's brother, Byron, pushes his parents to send him to his Grandma's house in Alabama, they get a little taste of what it is like.
I thought The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis, was a good book. I was interested during it, but it wasn't a book that was so-good-I-cant-stop-reading. The theme of the book was interesting. But, I didn't really like the end of the book. It was hard to understand and was sort of confusing. It wasn't incredibly complicated, but a lot of things happen and I couldn't keep up. The book was told in first-person by Kenny. Curtis makes Kenny a funny, enjoyable character. While Byron, Kenny's older brother, was more the mean older brother who beat up Kenny a lot. The description's of the main characters was very well done and I could visualize what they looked like. I recommend this book to anyone. It doesn't have a gender-specific theme, but I think you would need to be at least ten years old to understand what was happening. But, overall, it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it."
"The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 By Christopher Paul Curtis Published by Delacorte Press 1995 Historical Fiction
This Newberry Honor book and Coretta Scott King Award winner certainly lives up to expectations of a highly praised novel. Told from Kenny's point of view, The Watson's Go to Birmingham - 1963 offers readers a glimpse into an African American family during the civil rights movement. Each chapter in the book tells another chapter in Kenny's life and relationships. The stories are funny and memorable, like when Kenny realizes his "friend" has tricked him and stolen his dinosaurs. Or when Momma gets so angry she starts to burn brother Byron's fingers. As the story reaches the climax, the weird Watsons find themselves in Birmingham at a turbulent time in history. A very scary situation occurs when a bomb goes off in church and Kenny's sister Joetta is at Sunday school. Christopher Paul Curtis addresses the situation and the emotional effects that it had on Kenny wonderfully. This story is a good summer read for boys and girls alike, that mixes humor with a history lesson. The characters are three dimensional and easy to relate to, like the ideas of family, racism, bullying and being different."
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