The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 Hardcover – Picture Book, September 1, 1995

I was expecting what the title says The Watsons go to Birmingham. Well they do, but way way into the book and they're not there very long. The majority of the book is at their own home. They did experience a shocking scene to them, but I guessed by the description and what others were describing also, that ther book would be focused on it. So my guess is bloggers hadn't read it yet.

Just a fun book. Grandson and I are reading it together. I do a chapter then he does a chapter.

The Watsons go to Birmingham -1963 was overall my favorite book of 2016. I just recently read the book in my seventh grade reading class. Personally I thought the novel was a eye-opening, heart-warming, page-turning book. The way the whole book was laid out was brilliant, all of the characters played such an important part in the novel. For example, Byron is a juvenile delinquent, but a softie at heart. In the book when Kenny, Joetta,and By went swimming Joey, and Byron listened to Grandma Sands, and stayed away from Collier’s Landing. Kenny, on the other hand, did not. Before Kenny went swimming Byron told Kenny, and Joetta this long story about Winnie the Poohs evil twin brother, the Wool Pooh. Once Kenny went swimming he got caught in the whirlpool. When Kenny got caught Byron came running after Kenny and jumped in after him. Under the water Kenny thought Byron was the Wool Pooh, and started trying to fight him off. Luckily, Byron was stronger Kenny and managed to pull him back up out of the water. When he did Byron was kissing Kennys head and thanking god that he got there in time. The chapter “I Meet Winnie's Evil Twin Brother, the Wool Pooh” is an amazing way to show how Byron and Kenny feel towards each other. Its also a great example to show how complex Byron's personality is.I also loved how Christopher Paul Curtis came up with all of these family moments that not only brought them closer together but made YOU feel like YOU’RE in the book watching them!The last thing i'm going to add on to my comment is that I would recommend this novel too other young kids my age. It’s an amazing book that you’ll never want to put down!

Clearly aimed at a tween and early teenage audience, this charming novel lures readers in with the sweet and quirky story of the Watson family of Flint, Michigan, which consists of Momma, Daddy, the slightly rebellious oldest brother Byron, the playful middle brother Kenny (our narrator), and the angelic baby daughter Joetta. The majority of the novel follows the family through episodes of bullying, making friends, interacting with neighbors, and managing life just above the poverty line. The narrative deals lightly with these important social and socioeconomic issues—until the closing chapters, when the Watsons visit family in Birmingham, Alabama in late 1963. They’re there to witness the devastating church bombing that killed four young girls, and the novel takes a somber turn as Kenny copes with the trauma of what he witnessed. Adult readers might find the resolution a bit rushed, but younger readers will likely be inspired by Kenny’s resilience and the Watsons’ love and support for each other.

I'm from the south. Caucasian. From this same generation. My family had dear black people who lived & worked for us during my early childhood years. They were like family. If we were sick, they were there; if they were sick we were there. When the government told my grandfather what he could & could not plant on the farm, he had to stop farming, so the black family sadly had to find other work. But when I married, those beautiful black arms were wrapped around my neck and making sure my wedding day was perfect. Yes, I heard about the sickening bombings, the murders, unfair treatment & I know of the marches & the laws that have been passed to bring free rights for blacks. I know thousands of lives were forever changed during those years just as this young boy's life was because of a senseless bombing. About the same time that incident happened two young black men walked into a small grocery store on the outskirts of my small quiet town, told the white owners who were parents of my friends that "this is a stick up," took what cash was there & killed both of them. Racial unrest began. The kids in this story had never experienced such, found it hard to live with, understand. Is this family so different from mine? Will we ever get beyond the racial divide? What happens when believers enter heaven? God does not distinguish between color.

My 8 year old and I listened to this audio book. It's told from the perspective of a boy about my son's age. There are some too silly parts, like an older brother who gets his tongue stuck on a frozen rear view mirror, and installing a record player in a car. Both seem unrealistic to me. There are also some "older brother's language" issues (cussing or referring to cussing), and references to the middle finger salute, which I could have done without. The mother threatens to burn the older brother who is caught playing with matches again.Otherwise the family is likable and the story held our interest. When the older brother is getting into too much trouble the parents plan a trip to Birmingham Alabama, where they plan to leave him with Grandma. When they get there things don't seem the same as the old days growing up there. Desegregation is causing hostilities and violence which the family has to deal with. This part of the story is handled in an unusual way. We see things thru the eyes of a young boy who has some life threatening experiences and we experience some of his delusions, fear and grief he feels. In the end the big brother who was a problem earlier now feels compassion and concern for his little brother and helps him deal with his feelings. So some parts are not so great, but then maybe life is like that. We see some of the less appealing parts of this family and end up loving them anyway. I still recommend it.

I read this book with my kid, what a amusing, engaging read it was... and what nuggets of wisdom strewn all over the book.. We are going to miss the Watson's for sure...

I bought this book for my son to read and he could not put it down. He read it twice. So borrowed it from him and i think it a great read also.

It is so hard to find a good book for young readers. My son is 12 and he does like stories about orphans or monsters. This is the story about a nice family that looks like many other nice families (the tough oldest son included). However, the scene takes place in 1963, and bad things were happening in Birmingham in 1963. The book is nonetheless full of humor. It is extremely well written, with lots of dialogues and situations that are very well captured. My son and I had a good laugh together even if at the climax we didn't want to laugh anymore. A must be read book! Excellent!

Livre acheté par obligation pour les cours d'anglais, et finalement il s'est révélé une bonne surprise : beaucoup d'humour, de style, on ne tombe pas dans le pathos, la fin est émouvante. Recommandé à plusieurs personnes. Par contre il faut un assez bon niveau d'anglais pour comprendre certaines expressions qui reproduisent l'accent du Sud (pas du niveau collège, plutôt lycée).

What a wonderful book! I laughed and smiled with each turn of the page!