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All member reviews for The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963

Kid, 12 years old
March 21, 2011
 
The Watsons Go To Birmingham This story takes you on an adventure, you could be eleven or eighty and you would still fall in love with this book. Me, myself has read this book more than five times. Don’t judge a book by its cover! It may be thick and have little letters but you’ll breeze through this book like nothing. Let me give you the character traits; Byron is the tough macho cool misbehaved one of the family; he’s also the oldest. Kenny, on the other hand is the middle child; he keeps to himself but speaks out when he needs to. Joetta is the little baby of the family; she’s very kind and doesn’t like to hurt anyone in anyway. She goes to church every single Sunday and won’t miss it for anything in the world. When her parents yell at Byron for doing something bad and want to spank him she just won’t allow it. She is very religious. Your probably wondering why they called this book the Watsons go to Birmingham… right! They called it that because Byron does something so bad that they just can’t take him anymore and make him to his grandma sands house for the summer. They said that if he didn’t improve in his behavior by the end of the summer, he was going to stay there for the whole school year. Byron thought that they were kidding but they weren’t. Mrs. Watson had already planned this because she knew that one day this was going to happen. She had what kind of sandwich everyone was going to eat each day and how many. When they were going to stop for gas. When they were going to stop and sleep in the car. Don’t think that it’s just a book describing a car ride. Get ready for some comedy; although I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone smaller that eleven. This book may toss around a few cause words but not that many; not that much to get worried about. So I would definitely recommend this book to anyone eleven and older. By: Alicia Rubio

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Teen, 17 years old
December 24, 2008
 
terrific... ish
the book is totally terrific except byron's complete behavioral about-face went way too quickly. when reading the rest of the book, this family was so real they might have been living next door. but byron went from delinquent to understanding older brother in about three pages.

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Kid, 12 years old
March 22, 2011
 
The Watsons Go to Bermingham 1963

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Kid, 12 years old
January 30, 2010
 
Better For OLDER Kids
I didn't like this very much. I think this is iffy for kids age 10. Some of the things in here really bothered me; when the mom tries to burn one of her kids fingers, the personification of the 'Wool Pooh' or whirlpool, the bombing of the church, and seeing a dead girl which the main character thought was his sister among other things. I think younger kids might get freaked out about some of the things that happen in this story.

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Kid, 13 years old
December 22, 2010
 
Byron says the H-word, the D-word, the S-word, and the A-word in this book. The people also says "Oh my god!" and "I swear to God" a lot which kind of offended me. Also, I don't like how Byron play with fire, cusses, kills baby birds, and punches second graders. Little kids might get upset when Byron kills a tiny baby bird with a Swedish Cremes cookie. Also, I got very worried in two scenes : One was the part with the bombing in the church, and two was Kenny's near-death experience with Wool-Pooh. Great book, but slightly edgy for young readers.

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Adult
March 1, 2010
 
The Watsons -not ok for classroom
The writing is bad, vernacular irrelevant to modern world, abusive nature of mom in chapter 5, references to Nazis (supposed to be funny), God. Wool Pooh nonsensical to young children. Trying too hard, message of civil rights lost . So many better works out there. Title is misleading. Language over the top for children... "nekkid ladies" p 40; garbage truck full of dead frozen people, teasing; "I'ma gonna hunt you down and hurt you bad" p. 57; Byron kills a bird then vomits; on drive to Birmingham, "if they caught your ass out here like this they'd hang you now"; "what the hell you starin at?"

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Adult
January 31, 2009
 

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Adult
December 2, 2011
 
ok......
Byron uses minimal bad language but is still a hazard to kids under 10, and is very educational.

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Teen, 15 years old
December 2, 2010
 
good for ages 10+
i thought the book was awesome !!! but my little siter of 8 tryed reading it andd she just didnt understandd the racist part of it so if you want them to understand the book good i say only 10 and up should read it so they can appciate it like i did (:

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Parent of 8 year old
May 22, 2010
 

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Adult
April 9, 2008
 
Language
I teach the 5th grade and I read this to my class. Watch out for the language if you are using this as a read a loud.

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Parent of 14 year old
October 5, 2010
 
i love this book it is a very good book and it has a little cussing in it and it has some violence in it like squirrels getting shot by a 22 and a bird dies and stuff like that i would recommend this to a 12 or older

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Teen, 15 years old
February 5, 2009
 
IT WAS SOO AWESOme!!
The book was soo good i think they should make it into a movie i literaly cried when ever kenny said he had cried most of my tears went to the end when kenny said he saw a girl in a blue dress and a girl with red "paint" on it i cried my eyes out we had started reading it at school and i liked it soo much i had my mom buy me a copy the author give great discription!! i think by the picture on the front cover they are a grat family AND Byron is kinda cooler and soo much nicer to kenny!!

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Kid, 42 years old
November 13, 2011
 
PERFECT FOR ANYONE MATURE!!!!
i am 11 and my class recently finished reading this book.i think anyone can read this book once they are mature enough,so they wont try doing these stupid things i love this book and i think everyone else will too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Kid, 12 years old
March 12, 2011
 
the weird watsons
i love it because the characters are crazy and funny

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Parent of 10 year old
May 11, 2010
 
Able to use this book across the curriculum
My fifth-graders love to study this book at the same time we complete our Civil Rights unit in social studies. It is very funny. Many of my children come from similar socioeconomic groups, so they are able to relate to the children. They are also at a time where peer relations are becoming a big issue, and this story deals with this as well. Credit was also discussed and tied into economics lessons, in addition to inventions (the Ultra Glider, air conditioning, etc. Love the book. You can use it in some many different ways to teach.

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Kid, 13 years old
August 30, 2010
 
im planning to read it

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Teen, 16 years old
October 30, 2009
 
Funny book
Curtis is a brilliant author and this is nearly as good as his novels he made after this. Very good.

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Kid, 11 years old
August 11, 2011
 
BEST BOOK EVER
AN amazing , hilarious, and lovely chapter book! You need to read!!!!!!!

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Teen, 14 years old
August 5, 2011
 
I used this book for summer reading. i'm still waiting for my grade
In the watsons go to birmingham, this story offers you an exciting adventure that you won't forget. despite byron's adventures that get him into to trouble anywhere he goes, focus on the theme of the story

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