The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 - Christopher Curtis
A funny novel with a devastating emotional punch.
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- Author:Christopher Curtis
- # of pages: 210
- Publisher:Random House
- Original Publication Date: 01/01/1995
- Genre: Fiction - Historical Fiction
- Hardcover: $16.95
- Publisher's Recommended Reading Level: 9-12
- Read Aloud: 9+
- Read Alone: 10+
- Awards:Coretta Scott King Honor
Parents need to know
Families can talk about coping with terrible events. Kenny tries to cope by hiding. Why doesn't that work? Has a family member or friend ever helped you work through painful emotions?
Message
Social Behavior:
Byron steals, plays with matches, and is disrespectful.
Consumerism:
Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:
Violence
A church bombing is described, and the narrator's older brother fights. Kenny nearly drowns, and his sister is believed to have died in a bombing.
Sex
Language
Byron is described as swearing and making obscene gestures; mild religiously themed profanity.
Common Sense says
What's the story?
Reviewed by Amy Brotman
Ten-year-old Kenny introduces readers to his family; his parents, little sister Joetta, and tough, cool, delinquent-wannabe Byron. When Byron's antics escalate, though they are mild by today's standards, his parents decide he needs a dose of the iron hand of Grandma Sands. So they load up the car and head off to Birmingham for the summer.
Humorous incidents abound, but when the Watsons arrive in Alabama, they find themselves caught up in something far more serious than dealing with a mildly delinquent adolescent. Racists bomb Grandma Sands's church, and Kenny's little sister is feared dead. Kenny, who witnessed what happened, sinks into depression and believes that only magic can heal him. But when his parents don't know how to help him, he finds comfort in the words of the person he least expected.
Is it any good?
Readers come to know this funny, quirky family pretty well. There is a kindness in all, even Byron, who tries to hide it, which induces in the reader a growing affection. Even children who normally prefer plot-driven narratives are carried along by the uproarious shenanigans of the whole family, especially the father and Byron.
Most of the book is hilarious, told in Kenny's distinctive and believable voice. But when the family travels South, and Joetta heads off to Sunday School in Birmingham, readers who know a bit of history think they know what's coming, and brace themselves for it.
When Joetta is not killed in the church bombing, readers heave a sigh of relief, and the family heads back to Michigan for the last chapter of what now seems like an enjoyable but lightweight book. And then, as the readers' defenses are lowered, the author wallops them with an emotional sucker-punch, one that comes in the simple, earthy, completely unpoetic language of Kenny and Byron.
For Kenny saw the results of the bombing, and he is no longer whole. And no one knows what is wrong or what to do about it, as he drifts further and further away, disappearing day after day, hidden behind the couch where he believes magical powers will somehow heal him. But, in an emotionally wrenching scene, tough, bad, kindhearted Byron figures out what is going on and, in his casual, undemonstrative way, knows just what to do about it.
From the Book:
Dad was doing his best not to explode laughing. ... Finally he put his head on his arms and leaned against the car's hood and howled. ... "Why are you asking how it happened? Can't you tell, Wilona? This little knucklehead was kissing his reflection in the mirror and got his lips stuck!"
Other choices
Christopher Curtis Also Wrote
Bud, Not Buddy
Bucking the Sarge
Books With Similar Themes
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Parents and kids say
All Reviews
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Kids Reviews
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