The Watsons go to Birmingham is a realistic fiction novel that is set in the early 1960s during the civil rights movement. The starts off in a cold Flint, Michigan day and follows the lives of the Watson family and their three children, Joetta, Byron, and Kenny (the narrator of the story). Byron, the oldest, is one that is constantly getting himself in trouble, and because of his actions the family believes it is best to have Byron spend the summer and possibly the next school year in Birmingham, Alabama with his grandmother. While in Birmingham, their grandmother's church is bombed; and instead of explaining the true implications to their children. Kenny is the one that is most affected from the bombing; having been at the church moments after the explosion for fear that his sister was inside, and also never having faced this form of racism in his life. Though every member of the Watson family was safe, there were fatalities and injuries sustained from the bombing. It is Byron who explains to Kenny what and why this happened. Kenny comes to realize that the world is not perfect, but everyone needs to keep moving forward. This book is written in a way that the reader will visually see and feel what is going on in Alabama during this time in history. The Watsons go to Birmingham is the recipient of the 1995 Coretta Scott King Honor and Newberry Honor Award.
A book trailer can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7yLMoAKAXo
Teachers can find ways to incorporate this book in their lesson plans at http://www.walden.com/watsons-go-to-birmingham-7-creative-classroom-activities/
Readers also enjoyed Yolonda’s Genius by Carol Fenner and One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
Other books written by Christopher Paul Curtis include Bud, not Buddy and The Mighty Miss Malone.
Curtis, C. P. (1997). The Watsons go to Birmingham. London: Orion Children's Books.
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