Watsons Go to Birmingham -1963 (Updated) (Paperback) (Christopher Paul Curtis)

About the Book

The bestselling Newbery Honor-winning story of an African-American family's experience traveling through the South in the turbulent 1960s. Ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons, make their way from Flint, Michigan to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama, and travel through one of the darkest moments in American history.

Book Synopsis

Celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree about an unforgettable family on a road-trip during one of the most important times in the civil rights movement.

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

Bonus Content
- New foreword and afterword from the author
- Map of the Watsons' journey
- Original manuscript pages and letter from the Newbery committee
- Personal essays celebrating the book's legacy by award-winning authors: Elizabeth Acevedo, Chris Crutcher, Kate DiCamillo, Varian Johnson, David Barclay Moore, Jason Reynolds, Jerry Spinelli, Vince Vawter, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Jacqueline Woodson

Review 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

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, and has been a bestseller in hardcover and paperback. His most recent novels for Random House include The Mighty Miss Malone, Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission, Mr. Chickee's Funny Money, and Bucking the Sarge.

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, and lives with his family in Windsor, Ontario.