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The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, is a United States fiction novel by Christopher Paul
Curtis, published in 1995. It won a Newbery Honor award, a Coretta Scott King
award, and the Golden Kite Award. This novel would be best for readers aged
8-12 years old. Told from the perspective of ten year-old Kenneth Watson, of
Flint, Michigan, this novel is exceptionally realistic - from its take on 1963
technology and pop culture, to its realistically flawed and loving characters,
to its historical accuracy. The character development in this story is fully
formed and draws the reader into the story, causing the reader to become
attached to this African-American family before any serious and legitimate
historical action takes place. When Kenneth’s thirteen year old brother finally
takes his juvenile antics too far and joins a gang, Mr. and Mrs. Watson decide
it is time to take the whole family down to Birmingham, Alabama where Granny
Sand might be able to shape the kid up over the summer. While in Birmingham,
the Watson children enjoy country living for a few days before a devastating
event happens to them; they find out what it was like in 1963 when the
Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church was bombed with children inside. Ten year-old
Kenneth witnesses this historical event, and then must rely on his family bonds
to help his young mind process how racism could allow for such horrible
actions.
Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963. New York: Delacorte Press.
-Ms. J
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