The Watsons go to Birmingham - 1963 with Connections

Curtis, C. (1995). The Watsons go to Birmingham-1963 with connections. New York, New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group.  It’s 1963 and the Civil Rights Movements is in full swing across America, more importantly the South. With his older brother, Bryon, causing continuous trouble at home, Kenny and his family take a trip from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama to drop his brother off for the summer. It is when in Birmingham, that Kenny is confronted with hatred that has filled certain individuals, the idea that people were treated differently due to the color of their skin, and faces the idea that his little sister, Joette may have been tragically involved in a church bombing.  You cannot help but get involved with Kenny’s character in his emotional rollercoaster while in the South. Curtis presents a story with many of Bryon’s mischievous behaviors that sets up the trip to for Kenny and his family to Birmingham, Alabama.  Curtis uses a historical time in our history to show his readers how such hatred took ahold of the country that was struggling to make peace amongst itself. This novel would be good to identify character traits, plot and setting, and cause and effect. Attached is a link to set up background knowledge about the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8r_wUBixlw.