1112+Hussung+The+Watsons+Go+to+Birmingham-1963

=The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963=

By Angela Hussung

//The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 //was written by Christopher Paul Curtis. I couldn’t put it down at some points. It is a truly wonderful book. If you love history you’ll love this book.

The plot was interesting. Some points were suspenseful; like when there was the “Wool Pooh” dragging Kenny down. And others were sad; like when Joey’s church was bombed. This is not a stupid toddler book; it has many ups and downs.

Now the theme was the best part. The theme of //The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963// trying to help their son Byron grow up to be a respectable adult in the face of the criminal activity he was already participating in. He joined a gang. He lit fires. He was a bully and hung out with bullies. This couldn’t have been easy

The setting was easily believable. Starting in Flint Michigan was a nice touch. Set when Negros were looked down upon in Alabama, going south caused some problems for the Negro Watsons. The setting was one of this story’s strong points. For example,”…the furnace was banging and sounding like it was about to blow up but it still felt like Jack Frost had moved in with us.”

The characters were funny and realistic. Byron was a jerk, well, sometimes he was. Byron bullied Kenny, but he helped him too. He retrieved Kenny’s gloves when a different bully stole them. He hurt and helped the family all along the storyline. Kenny was telling the story so I saw the depth of Byron’s problem. Really this book had a nice set of characters.

Between the figurative language and the unexpected twists this book should be not judged by its cover. This is an excellent addition to anyone’s library. Check your local library or bookstore!