The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963

The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis was a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Award and the Newbery Honor Book in 1996.

Exposition:  The Watson family, Mom, dad, Kenny, Byron, Joetta, and Grandma Sands.  The story begins in Flint, Michigan in the winter in 1962, but most of the story occurs in the spring and summer of 1963.

Conflict:  Kenny is teased and picked on by his older brother Bryon and other students.  Internally Kenny is tormented by wanting to do the right thing and fear.

Rising Action:  The Watson family takes a car trip head south to Birmingham, Alabama.  Momma and Dad plan the trip.  When they arrive at Grandma Sands, Bryon starts following the rules and Kenny starts breaking them.  The three children go swimming and Kenny swims where Grandma Sands has told them not to.  Kenny almost drowns and Bryon saves his life.

Climax:  The church is bombed, Kenny runs into the bombed church looking for Joetta because she has went to Sunday School.  Kenny can’t find her and is afraid that Wool Pooh has got her.

Falling Action:  Kenny discovers that Joetta wasn’t in the church.  The entire family goes back to Flint, Michigan.  Kenny is very depressed and spends his days hiding behind the couch listening to his parents talk.

Resolution:  Bryon talks to Kenny and tells him about the bombing and convinces Kenny that he will be okay.

Theme is an important literary quality of this story.  Family is very important to survival, support and thriving in difficult times.  Allusion is another literary quality used to advance the story giving a relevance to the times.

Curtis, C. P. (1995). The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963. New York: Scholastic, Inc.