The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 tells the story of 10-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan, and their unforgettable journey that leads them into one of the darkest moments in American history. It is by turns a hilarious, touching, and tragic story about civil rights and the impact of violence on one family.

Follow the Watsons with us during National Library Week in April. Read The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963, come to a book discussion and enjoy programs supporting One Book One Lexington, a Lexington Public Library literacy initiative encouraging our community to read together for a lifetime.

One Book One Lexington is supported by the Friends of the Lexington Public Library.

Born in Flint, Michigan, Christopher Paul Curtis spent his first 13 years after high school on the assembly line of Flint’s historic Fisher Body Plant # 1. His job entailed hanging car doors, and it left him with an aversion to getting into and out of large automobiles—particularly big Buicks.

Read more about Christopher Paul Curtis

The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963 has won numerous awards and accolades, including:

• A Newbery Honor Book
• A Coretta Scott King Honor Book
• An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
• An ALA Notable Children’s Book
• A Booklist 25 Top Black History Picks for Youth
• An NCSS-CBC Notable Children’s Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies
• A Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College Best Book of the Year
• A New York Times Best Book
• A Publishers Weekly Best Book
• A Horn Book Fanfare
• A Bulletin Blue Ribbon
• The California Young Reader Medal

See the complete schedule of events View the video trailer Download and print the coloring contest form

1. Even though the topic is very serious, there is a lot of humor in this book. Which scene do you think is the funniest?
2. Byron often seems like a mean kid, and sometimes he acts as though he hates Kenny. How do you know that he has deeper feelings than those?
3. Does your family ever have arguments? What kinds of things do you fight about? How are conflicts usually resolved?

Read all ten discussion questions

The Watsons Go To Birmingham – 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis, published by Delacorte Press, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books.