Rating: 
Summary: Overall, this book was pretty good.
Review: This book gives the reader an opportunity to see life in the 1960's through the point of view of a ten year old African American. The family experiences hardships like a juvenille delinquent son who likes to play with fire. The family takes a long hypnotizing trip to Alabama to visit their grandmother as well as leave Byron there for the summer. However, their plans were interrupted when a Birmingham church was bombed. The book was pretty good even at it slow points. Jena Hendrickson, 8th grade, Mason County Middle School.
Rating:
Summary: A good, but confusing book
Review: I thought that this book had a very strong ending,
but the most confusing ending I have ever read!
I did not understand what the gray figure that kept coming about in death scenes was, until I got
the help of my parents to understand it. But once
I knew that the figure was death, the story really
touched me. It was not as funny as some people said
it was, but it was certainly funny. I highly recommend that people should read this, but I found
it confusing at the age of 11 ( the age group it is
supposed to be aimed at) so I recommend it to people
13 or older.- Katharine Manning, American School In Japan, 6th grade
Rating: 
Summary: This is the best book I have ever read!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: This book was great. It was really interesting and funny. I liked the way Byron talked to his brother. It was different from the way other people talk. Daddy Cool was always mean to Kenny, usually making up lies and things to get Kenny in trouble. This story was written very well and it was descriptive. I think everybody should read this book. Steven Yum, ASI
Rating:
Summary: One of the Greatest Books Ever
Review: "The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963" is an intelligent book written by Christopher Paul Curtis on family life and also the disastrous and hurtful effects of racism, prejudice, and discrimination. The story involves a family called "The Weird Watsons", and they are very supportive of each other, although they get into arguments and trouble. The rough Momma, joking Dad, troublesome Byron, cute Joetta, or Joey for short, and the narrator of this story is the middle child, Kenny. Kenny describes his feelings, and uses many phrases, such as "they might as well tie me to a tree and shout ready, aim, fire!". "The Watsons Go to Birmingham" is a plus for kids and adults, full of hilarious moments and also serious events toward the end. The first few chapters tells about the family while they are living in Flint, Michigan. There are many unforgettable characters that are involved in this story, and many of them live near the Watsons. During this chapters, most of the storyline is about ridiculous stuff, which Byron (the so-called juvenile deliquent) tells to haunt Joetta and Kenny. Momma fusses about the frigid cold of Michigan, for she is from the south. The middle part tells about the family preparing for a trip down to Birmingham, because Byron would not behave himself. The end tells about the Watsons in Birmingham, especially about the church bombing. "The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963" is a fascinating book and combines all the possible genres in it. You have got to read this book to know how amazing it is!!!
Rating:
Summary: An important book, recommended with reservations
Review: In 1963, I was a white kid attending a predominantly black junior high school in Seattle. "The Watson's Go To Birmingham-1963" rings true to what I saw and experienced in those days.It's true that this story doesn't have much of a plot in the usual sense, but then how many families have lives that are neatly plotted out? Instead we see episodes in the life of nerdish Kenny Watson, his older brother Byron who is always getting into trouble, his little sister "Joey" who is a little angel, their Momma who still has some of the old South in her, and Dad, a loving, but sometimes stern, man. This is an important piece of historical fiction. It shows an intact African-American family, struggling with many of the same things families of other races were dealing with in those days, however one is given a taste of their fear of racial violence as Momma and Dad plan--and take--their trip into the deep South to visit Grandma Sands during those turbulent times. This is an important book, but one I can only recommend with reservations. Some of the situations, and more especially some of the crude language used by Byron and his friends, would cause me to give it a PG rating. I think it's unfortunate that some authors of children's books think it's OK to use language that most educators are otherwise discouraging students from using.
Rating:
Summary: if you like history books
Review: I read The Watson's go to Birmingham -1963.
The author is Christopher Paul Curtis.
I loved this book . It has 5 characters.
The character that I liked is Byron. Hi's a bully,
But he cares for his brother and sister. Kenny is
a great boy. He likes to hang out with his
brother. Joetta is a four year old girl. She likes to
go to Sunday school at church. Dad is a cool
He likes to decorate the brown bomber(the car). Mom is a women that likes stuff her way.
Whenever they travel she has everything
Ordered in her note book .I Enjoyed this book because it's fun and awesome and I loved it.
Rating:
Summary: Dy-No-Mite!
Review: This book had me lauging one minute, and crying the next. Curtis takes his reader on an adventure with the Watson family, whom coincidentally has family members with which we can all proably relate with in one way or another. I would highly reccommend this book to my fourth grade peers.
Rating:
Summary: Comedy and Suspence
Review: My son Max says that this is a fantastic book that really inspired and entertained him and taught him a lot about literature.
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