The Watson's Go To Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

Curtis, C. (1995).  The Watson's go to Birmingham.  New York, NY. Random House Audio Publishing Group.

This is the story of  an African American family living in 1963 in Fynt, Michigan. There is Kenny who is the middle child in 4th grade and who narrates the story told from his point of view. He is smart but often picked on, but makes friends with Rufus who has just moved here from the south. Then there is  Momma, Dad, Joetta (Joey) his little sister who is in Kindergarten, and Byron(By) is his older 13 year old  brother.  The family is dealing Byron's mischief.  He continues to get in trouble by being a bully, setting things on fire, running up his parent's grocery tab, killing small animals, and straightening his hair. The family decides they need to go to back to where Momma grew up at Grandma's house in Birmingham, Alabama.  Momma says that its warm, life is slower, parents are stricter and their children respected them.  While in Birmingham Byron is starting to be nicer, more respectful and is listening to his Grandma.  Kenny however disobeys her and decides to go to an area called Collier's landing where there is a dangerous whirl pool that has killed a boy in the past.  Kenny almost drowns in the whirl pool, but Byron saves him. Byron tells his younger sibling the whirl pool is "wool pooh" which is an evil twin brother of Whinnie the Pooh.  One day Joey goes to church with the neighbors.  During the service there is a bombing. Kenny shows up and finds Joey but experiences some strange hallucinations along the way. The family goes to look for Joey but can't find her anywhere.  She shows up at the house with Kenny avoiding harm. This scares the family enough to know it's time to head home that night.  The bombing has really shaken the family, but Kenny seems most disturbed by the experience of almost drowning, loosing his sister, and seeing the "Wool Pooh".  They all reflect on how life is different in the south...both good and bad. Kenny finally gets over some of his shock and anxiety with the help of By, who has himself decided to be a nice guy after all.  In this historical fiction we experience relatable problems and themes of a typical American family including growing up, teenage rebellion, friendship, bullies, and family.  The theme of race, segregation and civil rights is shown as the North and South are compared to each other. The theme of loosing family and near death experiences and how those experience can change a person are also present in this novel.  Setting is important in this story as we experience the differences in weather, scenery, and people's behaviors toward each other and how they are different from Flynt compared to Birmingham. This is a wonderful story about a family, their love for each other, and a reminder of the hardships, hurt, and racism during this period in American history.