The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

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Summary: The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
Review: The Watsons go to Birmingham is a pretty good book. The comedy in it was what gave it it's quality. The father in the book, Daniel, always had a good sense of humor. He was like my father and was always joking with his kids. When things got serious, so did he. He was my favorite character. It was a bit about civil rights, but it was mainly the family dynamics. The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, a poatrait ofan average american family.

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Summary: An Excellent Story
Review: Oh my ...! What a great book!! When we had to read this book in school I was really not looking forword to it! But once we go started it was an excellent book. The Watsons Go To Birmingham-1963 is a wonderful story that helps younger adults understand what happened when that church was bombed, and the four little girls were killed. I found this to be a very touching story, but it was vvery funny. I would recommend this book to children age 10- adult. It is a funny book but it is a topic I think that needs to be taken seriously!

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Summary: WEIRD WATSON'S
Review: There was a family of 5, Kenneth(kenny), Joetta(joey), Byron(by), Wilona(mom), Daniel(dad).Byron is really bad, he plays with matches and he's a big bully. His mom, Wilona and his dad, Daniel, says there going to send him to stay with his Grandma Sands. When he plays with matches, his mom said she's going to burn him if he plays with them again.Then there mom and dad tell them to start packing there going to Birmingham,Alabama to stay with Grandma Sands.But, they don't believe them, because they always say there going to send Byron to saty with her.Will the Watson's go to Birmingham to stay with Grandma Sands?Read the book to see what happens and see if they really go to Birmingham!!This was a good book!!

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Summary: The Worst Thing That Happened in Birmingham, 1963
Review: I like this book because it was about kids around our age and the things they do is cool. The book "The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963" is about the kids named Kenny, his brother Byon and his sister Joetta. Byon gets in trouble alot so his father and his mother decide to take him to their grandma's house in Birmingham. Then one day Joetta went to Sunday school and the church blew up, but Joetta was not hurt. Then they all went back home and Kenny's friend Rufus wasn't acting like he always did to Kenny.

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Summary: The Wierd Wastons
Review: This book is about a kid named Bryon Waston. The story is told by his younger brother kenny. Bryon has done lots of horrible stuff. Like he got his lips stuck to a mirror. He thinks he is so cool now that he is a teenager. Her always plays with fire. But he never stops. Even after being told about a million times to stop. Finally he pushed it to far. He is sent to Birmingham, Alabama to live for a whole year with his mean grandma. After livinf in Flint. Now he is mad and wants to run away. But he does not get away with it. can he live for a whole year with his grandma? Read the book to find out.

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Summary: good book
Review: The Watsons go to Birmingham is an outstanding book. Even though I only read this one book by the author, it still gave me an idea of what he thinks. He writes of both historical events and amusing family incidents. Reading the book changed my perspective on the past. Together, the Weird Watsons solve each problem with support from each other. I can truly say I enjoyed this book.
--Marilyn Puerto

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Summary: The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963
Review: What I really liked about this book was that the pace of the book was breathtaking. You never knew what would happen next (unless you already read it). A part that really surprised me was the part where there was a bombing in Joetta's church. I really thought that Joetta really had died.The way that it was written really convinced me that it really happened. Especially when Kenny found that shoe.On a scale from one to five I would rate it a five.One reason I would rate it a five is because it was humorous yet some parts were serious. I like a book that is not to serious. I also like an author who has a sense of humor. That is a characteristic that that Christopher Paul Curtis seems to have. I really enjoyed reading this book.I look foward to reading more of his books soon.I plan on reading Bud,not Buddy. Judging from this book I think Bud, not Buddy will also be a hit.
by Kimberly Ellis

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Summary: The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963 Review
Review: The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 byChristopher Paul Curtis tells a captivating story through the view of aten-year-old boy. Kenny Watson liveswith his mom and dad, older brother Byron, and little sister Joey in Flint,Michigan. Through the eyes of Kenny wesee the lives of an African American family living in the time of the CivilRights Movement. The story sheds lighton the difficulties of growing up with a disability, and also a young adult's struggle to accept the changes that come with age and responsibility. When the Watson family decides to go toBirmingham tragedy strikes, and what is truly important becomes all tooclear. This story is a perfect exampleof the trials and tribulations faced by many families of the time, but alsodemonstrates the unexpected happiness that life can bring.
In the cold townof Flint, Michigan the "weird" Watsons live a relatively normal life. Like every family they have theirproblems. Mrs. Watson is foreverplagued by the cold northern weather, and dreams of the warm days back in herold home of Alabama. Kenny has a lazyeye and is constantly tormented for this. His only defense against the other kids at school is his big brother,Byron. Byron is the "popular" kid atschool, even though he has been held back several times. He is looked up to for his age and becausehe seems to be so tough. In hisparent's eyes, however, he is quickly on his way to becoming a juveniledelinquent. When Byron has finallypushed his parents to the end of their rope, they decided to take Byron toBirmingham to live with his grandmother for the summer. Suddenly the Watsons have entered acompletely different world. Whitepeople look at them like they are inferior or lesser people, and they are onlyallowed to use certain facilities. When white activists bomb the Avenue Church in Birmingham, the Watson'sworld is turned upside down. Only time,love, and trust can heal some wounds.
Kenny Watson wasextremely intelligent for his age, and this only added to his problems. He was in the fourth grade, but often didwork at levels beyond his grade, which made him a prime target forteasing. He was continuously made funof by the other children because of his eye. This story is a good example to show that children can get past physicaldisabilities. Kenny's self-confidencegradually grows with the support of his family, and especially his brother,Byron. He learns to deal with the otherchildren, and get on with his life. Ibelieve that this is an extremely important lesson that is useful to allpeople.
Another reason Ithink this was a good book was the way it used humor. At one point Byron was looking at himself in a car side mirror when he decided to kiss himself because he was so beautiful. The only problem was that it was freezing outside and his lips got stuck to the mirror. Throughout the story the author introduced events and descriptions thatmade the story much more appealing. Humor from a child's view can be a very difficult thing to do, andCurtis does this well. I also thought that Curtis did a good job incorporating a serious historical time with the humor. It gave the writing a variety ofemotions that left the reader feeling as though they had truly experienced those events.
The Watsons Goto Birmingham-1963 is a very well written story that people of all ageswould enjoy. This charismatic story is a book I would recommend. The characters will charm you, and as they experience joy and sadness you will feel their emotions with them. Curtis does a great job of entertaining his audience while dealing with an important historical time period for ourcountry.

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Summary: Laughed hysterically with this one.
Review: I started this book at the LA Times Book Festival several years ago and could not put it down. It is especially great for those who have siblings and remember the antics we actually survived. A pure joy ofthe written word.

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Summary: You have to read this one
Review: I first read this book in the 6th grade and I'm now in the 10th grade and still find it hilarious. This book is about a family called the watsons who live in Flint, Michigan. The family consists of a Father who grew up in Flint, a mother from Birmingham Alabama, a juivenille delinquent named Byron who is always causing trouble for himself or others with his best friend called Bup-Head. Then there is Kenny the main character who is 10 years old and learning how to cope with the fact that he is smarter than his brother and he's always going to get beat up, and the youngest member of the family is Joetta a.k.a Joey. The Watsons decide to head down to Birmingham so Byron can learn to behave while spending time with "Grandma Sands". And while the Watsons are in birmingham there is a church bombing and 4 little girls are killed. Even though the church bombing was a real event in history the book is laugh-out-loud funny from beginning to end from By getting his lips stuck to the mirror to the "Wool Pooh" , Winnie the Pooh's evil twin brother. The fact that some of the incidents in the book like when Byron gets his lips stuck to the car mirror, and Captian Byron Watson and his flame thrower of Death.... are true stories from Christopher Paul Curtis' life.