“The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963” By: Christopher Paul Curtis

ED204

“The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963”

By:  Christopher Paul Curtis

Delacorte Press; New York

Copyright: 1995

            This is the story of ten-year-old Kenny from Flint Michigan. Kenny is the middle child with a younger sister, Joetta and mean older brother Byron.  Kenny tells the story of what life is like for an African American boy living in Michigan in the 60’s.   He struggles with school bullies, makes a new friend, but he and his siblings are not conscious of what struggles had taken place and in some areas were still taking place.  When his brother misbehaves, his parents decide to take the children down south for a dose of reality, where the children were affected by a horrendous hate crime.  This was a wonderful book.  Many students will be able to find a text to self-relationship to this book.  I am not sure if there is any text to world relationship, but we live in a sometimes hostile world were something can always be drawn from.  This would be a great book for any student above second grade to read.  It would also be a great selection as a class book during the month of February.