The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963




Curtis, C. (1995). The watsons go to Birmingham - 1963. New York, NY: Delacorte Books for Young Readers. 

Kenny's story transports us to 1963, where a family that shares a wonderful dynamic, loving memories, and funny exchanges has to travel to Birmingham, Alabama, to readjust the eldest's character.  Kenny, the middle child, tells the story of how he gets along with his siblings, life in Flint, Michigan, the family's trip to Alabama, and finally seeing their grandma again.  Curtis includes factual events without embellishing the times. Young readers can appreciate the plot through the author's style of writing and storytelling.  Unfortunately, the dangers of living in the south come to the Watson on a Sunday morning, and they get a brush with death that Kenny must deal with.

Parents, this is an excellent novel to read with your children.  You will enjoy the humor in the relationship of the siblings, parents, and their lives in Flint.  It's also a learning tool to explain tolerance and the horrible truth of the Civil Rights Movement.  It will open a topic of conversation to how any person you come across can make a difference for a better world.


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