The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, by Christopher Paul Curtis, is the story of the Watsons, who live in Michigan during the 60s. The oldest son, Byron, has had trouble keeping OUT of trouble, so the decision is made to make a trip to Birmingham, Alabama to take him to spend some time with his strict grandmother, who will take care of ALL of his problems.
Well, anyone who knows what went on historically during the 1960s in the south, more specifically, what happened in Birmingham during that year, know that the South was going through quite a bit of turmoil, and this plays a part in the story.
The writing style of Curtis kept my attention and was quite the enjoyable book. 4 out of 5 stars for children's chapter books.
I'm glad you enjoyed the book. I love using this book with my 6th graders. They love it, even when it turns serious. Parts are just plain old laugh-out-loud funny, especially the first chapter. Even though most of them don't relate to the African-American experience, or to the 1960's, they certainly connect to the universal childhood experiences!
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