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A wonderful middle-grade novel narrated by Kenny, 9, about his middle-class black family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. When Kenny's 13-year-old brother, Byron, gets to be too much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person who can shape him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's church is blown up.

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Professional Review from School Library Journal

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Professional Review from School Library Journal

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Grade 6 Up. Kenny's family is known in Flint, Michigan, as the Weird Watsons, for lots of good reasons. Younger sister Joetta has been led to believe she has to be overdressed in the winter because Southern folks (their mother is from Alabama) freeze solid and have to be picked up by the city garbage trucks. Kenny, the narrator, does well in school and tries to meet his hard-working parents' expectations. After a string of misdeeds, Mr. and Mrs. Watson decide that tough guy, older brother Byron must be removed from the bad influences of the city and his gang. They feel that his maternal grandmother and a different way of life in Birmingham might make him appreciate what he has. Since the story is set in 1963, the family must make careful preparations for their trip, for they cannot count on food or housing being available on the road once they cross into the South. The slow, sultry pace of life has a beneficial effect on all of the children until the fateful day when a local church is bombed, and Kenny runs to look for his sister. Written in a full-throated, hearty voice, this is a perfectly described piece of past imperfect. Curtis's ability to switch from fun and funky to pinpoint-accurate psychological imagery works unusually well. Although the horrific Birmingham Sunday throws Kenny into temporary withdrawl, this story is really about the strength of family love and endurance. Ribald humor, sly sibling digs, and a totally believable child's view of the world will make this book an instant hit.
Cindy Darling Codell, Clark Middle School, Winchester, KY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Individual Review from Common Sense Media

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Individual Review from Common Sense Media

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Most of the book is hilarious, told in Kenny's distinctive and believable voice. But when the family travels South, and Joetta heads off to Sunday School in Birmingham, readers who know a bit of history think they know what's coming. When Joetta is not killed in the church bombing, readers heave a sigh of relief, and the family heads back to Michigan for the last chapter of what now seems like an enjoyable but lightweight book.

And then the author wallops readers with an emotional sucker-punch. For Kenny saw the results of the bombing, and he is no longer whole. No one knows what is wrong or what to do about it, as he drifts further and further away, hidden behind the couch where he believes magical powers will somehow heal him. But in an emotionally wrenching scene, tough, bad, kindhearted Byron figures out what is going on and, in his casual, undemonstrative way, knows just what to do about it.

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When my 10 year old says, "Mom, you HAVE to read this!" and checks my progress, it melts my heart. I'm only a few pages in, but I'm wondering why my 5th grade teacher didn't offer great books(or any for that matter) for us to read!

This truly is YA. It's full of adolescent antics, lights up the importance of family and told the story of an incident that happened in Birmingham '63. It's an important read for kids and provided the opportunity to talk about the Civil Rights Movement.

My favorite part of the book was when my son read to me his favorite chapter while I ate dinner. Priceless.

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This book was first challenged and eventually banned at middle schools in Utah in 2001 after parents complained and the district decided to remove it from the curriculum. It was challenged once again in 2003 in Stafford County, Virginia.

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Is this the only book the author has had challenged/banned?

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Is this the only book the author has had challenged/banned?

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I believe this is the only book that has been challenged and/or bannedauthored by Christopher Paul Curtis.

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The book was challenged in Utah for concerns over it being violent, having offensive language, a teen who misbehaved and wasn’t punished, and characters using the Lord’s name in vain. It was challenged in Virginia by a parent who was offended by some of the language.

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What benefit does this book have for P-12 students?

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What benefit does this book have for P-12 students?

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In reading this book a student can see what life was like in another time period. As well as be put into the story of a family, who out of no fault of their own our thrust into a scary and defining moment in the right for civil rights for all.

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A teacher can use “The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963” to discuss a wide range of topics. The book can be used as an introduction to the Civil Rights Movement and the specific history detailed in the book. It can be used to discuss current events and compare race relations in the past to the present. Teachers can use the geography in the book to discuss differences in weather, lifestyle, speech and racial tensions in Michigan and Alabama, or north versus south.

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I have read “The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963” and I truly enjoyed it, I believe the book should be shared with students studying American history. I did not find there to be anything offensive about the book. As far as the violence in the story, I briefly discusses real life events, the bombing of a church, where, yes, children died, but I believe it is important to remember and teach children about the atrocities from our past, in order to prevent them in the future. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963" was awarded the John Newberry Honor Medal and Coretta Scott King Award.

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Curtis, C. P. (n.d.). The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 [Digital Image]. Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514yoDeaRJL.jpg

Nobody But Curtis. (n.d.). Retrieved February 1, 2017, from http://nobodybutcurtis.com/books.html

Cordell, C. D. (1995). Amazon. Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://www.amazon.com/Watsons-Birmingham-1963-Christopher-Paul-Curtis/dp/044022800X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486394394&sr=8-1&keywords=the+watsons+go+to+birmingham+1963

Berman, M. (n.d.) Common Sense Media. Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://www.commonsense.org/book-reviews/the-watsons-go-to-birmingham-1963#

Stacey's Review. (2012, July 20). Retrieved February 1, 2017, from https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/369844904?book_show_action=true&from_review_page=1

The American Library Association's Top Ten Frequently Challenged Books of 2014 [Digital image]. (October 1, 2015). Retrieved February 6, 2017, from http://litstack.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/book-censorship1-752x424.jpg

Sorensen, M. (2001, April 30). Why book about the Watsons was banned in Nebo is puzzling. Deseret News Utah. Retrieved February 1, 2017, from http://www.deseretnews.com/article/840075/Why-book-about-the-Watsons-was-banned-in-Nebo-is-puzzling.html