what grade is kenny in the watsons go to birmingham
 | |
| Author | Christopher Paul Curtis |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Genre | Realistic fiction, Juvenile fiction |
| Publication date | 1995/1997/2000 |
| OCLC | 32133739 |
| LC Class | PZ7.C94137 Wat 1995 |
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 is a historical-fiction novel past Christopher Paul Curtis. First published in 1995, it was reprinted in 1997. Information technology tells the story of an African-American family living in the town of Flint, Michigan, in 1963. When the oldest son (Byron) begins to get into a bit of trouble, the parents decide he should spend the summertime and possibly the next school year with Grandma Sands in Birmingham, Alabama. The entire family travels there together by car, and during their visit, tragic events take place. The book was adapted for Hallmark Aqueduct in 2013.
Background and setting [edit]
The book takes identify from approximately January to October 1963, a turbulent time during the Civil Rights Movement. The Watson family is fictional, but the characters are based on members of the author's family, including himself, and many of the events in the commencement half of the book are based on a subcontract from the author's childhood and additional personal events.
Events later in the story center around the historic 1963 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, soon after the civil rights protests had gained negotiation with white city leaders for integration. KKK members bombed the church on September xv, 1963, killing 4 girls and injuring many more than. In the novel, the incident is depicted every bit occurring a chip earlier than the historical engagement, allowing the Watson family to still be on summer vacation in Birmingham when it took place.
The bombing was a goad for increased activity in the Civil Rights Movement and work on voter registration in Mississippi, during Freedom Summertime of 1964.
Plot [edit]
The novel is a first-person account narrated past Kenneth Watson, who lives in Flintstone, Michigan with his parents Daniel and Wilona Watson, his older blood brother Byron, and younger sister Joetta. The opening chapters plant Kenny equally a very bright and shy fourth grader who has difficulty making true friends until Rufus Fry arrives in town from Arkansas. Rufus is also bullied by the students at Clark Elementary for his "country" clothes and emphasis, making Kenny reluctant to befriend him at first, but they are soon inseparable. Kenny is alternatively bullied and protected by his 13 year one-time brother Byron and his friend, Buphead, whom he calls "an official teenage juvenile runaway". Byron has been retained twice because he oft skips schoolhouse and is even so in 6th grade. He invents a series of "fantastic adventures" which constantly go him into trouble and include playing with matches in the house and setting things on fire, abusing his parent's credit at the corner grocery store to buy himself treats, and getting a "conk" hairstyle against his parents' orders.
Daniel and Wilona eventually become so frustrated with their disability to "straighten out" Byron that they determine to transport him to Birmingham, Alabama to live with Grandma Gloria Sands (Wilona's female parent) for at least the summer and maybe an unabridged year. Equally soon equally the school year concludes, the Watsons ready their car ("the Brown Bomber") and embark on a road trip from Flint to Birmingham to deliver Byron to his grandma. Kenny had been looking frontwards to the "battle royal" between his grandma and Byron, only is disappointed when merely a few sharp words from the "old, one-time lady" have Byron speaking respectfully and generally behaving himself, causing Kenny to seek out his ain "adventures". Grandma Sands warns the children to avert a particular local swimming hole because of a dangerous whirlpool, which Kenny misheard as "Wool Pooh" due to her thick Alabama accent. Kenny wants to swim in that location anyhow, and is frustrated when Byron and Joetta turn down to go along. Ignoring the warnings of both Grandma Sands and Byron, Kenny jumps into the seemingly tranquil pool and edges deeper and deeper water until the whirlpool catches him and about pulls him down, but Byron saves him. Remembering his grandmother's words, he imagines that a strange monster he thinks is the mysterious Wool Pooh swam up from below to grab his ankle and pull him under. Byron after insists that at that place was nothing else in the water, but Kenny is convinced that the Wool Pooh actually exists.
Before long subsequently, a bomb goes off at a nearby church where Joetta is attending Sunday school. Kenny wanders into the still-smoking church building in the firsthand aftermath looking for his sister, but instead sees the Wool Pooh in the fume clinging to a torn daughter'southward shoe that looks similar Joetta's. In shock, he walks dorsum to Grandma Sands' firm without anyone noticing that he had been at the church building, and he'southward again shocked and confused to find Joetta already there. She claims that information technology was Kenny who had called her away from the church and led her home, and she does not fifty-fifty know that a bombing had taken place right after she'd left Sunday school.
As before long as they realize that Joetta is safe, the Watsons determine to immediately return home to Flint, trying to avoid explaining the full implications of what has happened to the children. Kenny is unable to process the events in Birmingham and avoids his family and friends over the ensuing weeks, instead spending many hours hiding backside the sofa. Byron somewhen coaxes him out and gets Kenny to talk nearly what happened, which finally brings a inundation of tears from Kenny. Encouraging his little brother to "keep on stepping", Byron explains that although the world is not perfect, he has to go on moving on.
Characters [edit]
- Kenneth Watson - The main character and narrator of the story, the younger of the two sons of the Watsons. Kenny is ten years old. He is an excellent/intelligent pupil with many capabilities and has a lazy centre, which makes him the target of bullying at Clark Elementary School.
- Wilona Sands Watson - Normally referred to as "Momma", she is the wife of Daniel and the mother of the three children. A native of Birmingham, she slips into a thick Southern accent when mad or excited, and complains about Flint's harsh winters. She is strict and overprotective but loves her kids.
- Daniel Watson - The married man of Wilona and male parent of the three children. He'southward known for having a good sense of sense of humour and is referred to as "Dad".
- Byron Watson - Older brother of Kenny and Joey. He is considered the "God" of Clark Elementary Schoolhouse. He bullies smaller kids along with his all-time friend Buphead. He is known for existence a terrible student and is also known for breaking the rules and being a rebel. Byron is xiii.
- Joetta "Joey" Watson - Younger sis of Byron and Kenny. She follows the rules and is very religious. Joey has a special relationship with Byron. She is five.
- Buphead - Byron's best friend, who is also an "official delinquent," helps Byron bully many kids, including Kenny, although Byron and Buphead stand for Kenny and Rufus when they're being bullied past Larry.
- Grandma Sands - Grandmother of Kenny, Byron, and Joey, mother of Wilona, and mother in law of Daniel. She is supposed to exist very strict. Seen by Wilona, Kenny, Byron, Joey, and Daniel when they arrived in Birmingham. Grandma Sands walks with a cane due to having a stroke. Her married man died earlier the beginning of the book.
- Rufus Fry - Kenny'due south new best friend and Cody'southward big brother. His family unit moves to Flint from the South. He and his trivial brother Cody befriend Kenny.
- Cody Fry - Rufus'southward little brother. Rufus and Cody come from a poor Southern African-American family.
- Lawrence "Larry" Dunn - the schoolhouse bully in Kenny and Rufus's class, until Byron teaches him a lesson for stealing Kenny'southward winter gloves.
- Mr. Robert - a dear friend of Grandma Sands. Mr. Robert started helping Grandma Sands out around the house after her husband died. It's hinted that Grandma Sands has a trounce on Mr. Robert.
- Mrs. Davidson - is the religious next-door neighbor of the Watsons. Joey goes to church building with Mrs. Davidson three times a week. Sometimes Wilona makes Kenny go to Sun School with Joey.
- LJ Jones - a quondam playmate of Kenny who stole many of Kenny'southward toy dinosaurs.
[edit]
The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963 was Christopher Paul Curtis'southward offset novel, earning him a Newbery Honor, a Coretta Scott King (wife of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.) Honor, and the Gilt Kite Laurels. Curtis also wrote the Newbery Honor-winning novel Bud, Not Buddy; Elijah of Buxton, and The Mighty Miss Malone.[1] [two]
Genre [edit]
Professor Rachelle Kuehl posits that The Watsons Get to Birmingham – 1963 expands across the typical historical fiction genre, by contextualizing the events of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing and by providing readers opportunities to acquire nearly social injustice.[3]
Analysis [edit]
Professor Jonda C. McNair asserts that humor serves as an of import literary device in The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 to expose the racism experienced by Black Americans in the 1960s.[4]
Adaptations [edit]
In 2013, a telly film based on the book produced by Walden Media premiered on the Hallmark Aqueduct, starring Anika Noni Rose, Wood Harris, Latanya Richardson, Skai Jackson and David Alan Grier. The picture show adapted the story by condensing and trimming events and characters from Flintstone in the first one-half of the novel and adding new scenes showing Kenny and Byron helping local youths organize Civil Rights events in Birmingham.
References [edit]
- ^ Newbery Medal and Laurels Books, 1922–Present, American Library Association, retrieved 2009-01-17
- ^ Coretta Scott King Volume Award Complete Listing of Recipients—by Year, American Library Association, retrieved 2009-01-17
- ^ Kuehl, Rachelle (2021-07-29). "Through Lines: Exploring By/Present Connections in Middle Grade Novels". The Reading Teacher. 75 (4): 441–451. doi:ten.1002/trtr.2041. ISSN 0034-0561.
- ^ McNair, Jonda C. (2010). "Classic African American Children's Literature". The Reading Teacher. 64 (2): 96–105. doi:10.1598/rt.64.2.two. ISSN 0034-0561.
External links [edit]
- Random Firm's page on the volume
- Alabama church marks bombing anniversary
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham at Hallmark Channel
- The Watsons Go to Birmingham at IMDb
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Watsons_Go_to_Birmingham_%E2%80%93_1963
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