When his parents decide to take their family on a road trip to visit their Grandmother in 1963 Birmingham Alabama, Kenny doesn't know it will be the most important visit of his life.

I like all of Christopher Paul Curtis' other books but this one not so much.... some swearing and mentions a few inappropriate things.... :( his other books are great though. This book is definitely an eighth grade and up book.

Kenny and his family (the 'Weird Watsons') do their best to stay afloat during the Civil Rights Movement, and young Kenny finds that true strength comes from within.

An absolutely incredible performance (by LeVar Burton!!!!) of a deservedly beloved classic.

Couldn't get much better for a road trip than this gem read by LeVar Burton. The "weird Watsons" are definitely funny and believable. The material in this book does deal with one of the more horrific crimes during the Civil Rights Movement, so this is probably best for ages nine and up.

Good story, but couldn't really get into it.

I came *this* close to giving up on this book after reading chapter five, which is way too violent for my taste. I'm so glad I didn't give up, though. This is a really good book that deserves our full attention, even though it's difficult sometimes. If you’re a wuss like me, maybe just skip chapter five?

Excellent story, humorous and interesting. Incorporates the family going to Alabama to visit Grandma and being there during the bombings of churches . This is not a sad story but cute and funny yet with the seriousness of the racial tension. Recommend this book. Looking forward to watching the DVD.

The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 is the unforgettable first novel written by Christopher Paul Curtis. It is a Newbery Award Honor and Coretta Scott King Award Honor book which is quite a pile of kudos for a first novel. It's one of those books that will linger in your memory for years. It's funny, heartwarming and then in the final pages it is heart wrenching. With all this heavy duty honor and glory one might wonder if kids would appreciate the story and I can assure you they do. It's just one of those books that did everything exactly right.
What makes this book work are the characters. So let's meet the Watsons or, as the neighborhood people call them... the Weird Watsons. And they earned that name. There's our brilliant ten year old narrator Kenny who shares his insights on his family. There's Byron who "just turned 13 so he was officially a teenage juvenile delinquent..." These two create a lot of comic/tragic energy as the story progresses. Joetta is their baby sister and hapless witness to most of their disasters. Mom and Dad are quirky, creative, and often exasperated.
The chapter headings give you a good idea of what kind of trouble the boys tend to get into usually with Kenny as the victim. Chapter five for instance is "Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and His Flamethrower of Death." It involves Byron, matches, a toilet and toy soldiers. Eventually Byron's juvenile delinquent ways force his parents to play hardball and he's taken to his Grandmother's house in Birmingham. That's when this family that we have fallen in love with gets wrapped up in one of the darkest events of the Civil Rights era. Because we are so firmly attached to the Watson's we walk into the events of 1963 and feel the intensity and pain just as they do. This sense of deep empathy is what makes this book stay firmly fixed in the minds of those who have read it. Read it and you will understand why Christopher Paul Curtis is one of the best authors writing for kids today.

This is a great book. There are not that many civil-rights related topics in it, but a bunch of wonderful short stories.