The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, Christopher Paul Curtis
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The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

Author: Christopher Paul Curtis

Narrator: LeVar Burton

Unabridged: 4 hr 55 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/05/2000

Synopsis

During one of the most important times in the civil rights movement, one unforgettable family goes on a road trip in this Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree, from author Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

A PARADE BEST KIDS BOOK OF ALL TIME

When the Watson family—ten-year-old Kenny, Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron—sets out on a trip south to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama, they don’t realize that they’re heading toward one of the darkest moments in America’s history. The Watsons’ journey reminds us that even in the hardest times, laughter and family can help us get through anything.

"A modern classic." —NPR

“Marvelous . . . both comic and deeply moving.” —The New York Times

"One of the best novels EVER." —Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Honor and National Book Award–winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

About The Author

CHRISTOPHER PAUL CURTIS won the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for his bestselling second novel, Bud, Not Buddy. His first novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963, was also singled out for many awards, among them a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor, and has been made into a Hallmark Channel Original Movie. He is also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement. Christopher Paul Curtis grew up in Flint, Michigan. After high school he began working on the assembly line at the Fisher Body Plant No. 1 while attending the Flint branch of the University of Michigan. He is now a full-time writer. He lives with his family in Windsor, Ontario.

Reviews

AudiobooksNow review by max on 2025-04-17 11:58:57

this book is long

AudiobooksNow review by max on 2025-04-17 11:59:15

this book it long

Goodreads review by S.D. on July 13, 2007

The plot is simple: 10-year-old Kenny (the narrator) has a loving family: a mom and dad, a little sister (Joetta), and a big, tough brother (Byron). Byron starts getting into typical teenage trouble. Kenny's parents decide to take the family on a road trip to visit grandmom in Alabama. They figure s......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on May 02, 2018

Kenny Watson is a ten-year-old resident of Flint, Michigan. The year is 1963, and Kenny, having grown up in an overwhelmingly black neighborhood and never visited his mother’s family down South, has not personally experienced much racism. He’s seen violence against people of color on TV, but those s......more

Goodreads review by Mariah Roze on September 14, 2016

I read this in like middle school and LOVED IT! That's like all I remember hahahaha......more

Goodreads review by BookChampions on May 25, 2011

I just can't recommend The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. While the book can be pretty funny and the Weird Watsons are a tight-knit, pretty-darn-average family filled with support and love, it also meanders and at times even plods. I'm surprising myself to say this (because I rarely say this about......more

Quotes

AN ALA TOP TEN BEST BOOK
AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK
AN IRA YOUNG ADULT'S CHOICE
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BEST BOOK
NAMED TO MULTIPLE STATE AWARD LISTS

"This is a book that changes lives. It certainly changed mine." --Kate DiCamillo, two-time Newbery Medalist

"I identify with so much in Christopher Paul Curtis's engrossing classic, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963." --David Barclay Moore, winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent

"An exceptional first novel."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Superb . . . a warmly memorable evocation of an African American family." —The Horn Book Magazine, starred review

"Ribald humor . . . and a totally believable child's view of the world will make this book an instant hit."—School Library Journal, starred review

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