The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963

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Title:

The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963

Author:

Curtis, Christopher Paul, author.

Burton, LeVar.

Summary:

The ordinary interactions and everyday routines of the Watsons, an African American family living in Flint, Michigan, are drastically changed after they go to visit Grandma in Alabama in the summer of 1963.

General Note:

Compact disc.

Edition:

Unabridged ed.

Physical Description:

4 sound discs (4 hrs., 55 min.) : digital ; 4 3/4 in.

Genre:

Audiobooks.

Subject Term:

African Americans -- Fiction

Families -- Fiction.

Prejudices -- Fiction.

Siblings -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Flint (Mich.) -- Fiction.

Author(s):

Burton, LeVar.

Publisher:

Listening Library,

Publication Date:

1996

ISBN:

9780807217771

Publication Information:

New York : Listening Library, p1996.

Award Note:

Newbery Honor Book, 1996.

Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book, 1996.

Call Number:

CDB J CURTIS

Holds: Copies:

Available:*

Item Barcode	Collection	Call Number	Status	Item Holds
33607001814972	Juvenile Books on CDs	CURTIS	Searching... Unknown	Searching... Unavailable

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Enter the world of ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the "weird" Watsons of Flint, Michigan. When Mom and Dad decide to visit Grandma, the Watsons head off to Birmingham, Alabama, where they witness a tragic historic event.

This "visit...fans the story from warm family anecdote to blazing national historythe best...we've ever heard." (USA Today)

Author Notes

Newbery Medal-winning children's book author Christopher Paul Curtis was born in Flint, Michigan on May 10, 1953 and graduated from The University of Michigan. While there he won the Avery and Jules Hopwood Prizes for poetry and a draft of one of his early books. Curtis spent thirteen years on an assembly line hanging car doors.

His story The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 received a Newbery Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor, and Bud, Not Buddy became the first novel to win both of these awards. Elijah of Buxton received the 2008 Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award, the Coretta Scott King Award, and a Newbery Honor. Curtis also won the 2009 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers' Literature.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (1)

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-In the only Newbery Honor book to make my list, the weighty issues and historical perspectives don't get in the way of a very funny family. Byron plays some awful tricks on his younger brother Kenny, but readers can't help but laugh at some of his less harmful teasing. He tells a convincing story to little sister Joey about how garbage trucks scoop up frozen Southern folks who don't dress warmly enough, and half-fools Kenny with his tall tale. While the boys supply many of the laughs, it's clear that they get their sense of humor from their dad. His gentle teasing and tongue-in-cheek exaggerations can be hilarious. Laughter and Tears Award: More than any other book on my list, the humor in The Watsons shifts to near tragedy and many thought-provoking developments. The serious stuff succeeds in part because readers grow so close to this family through the humor that comes earlier in the book. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Excerpts

Enter the hilarious world of ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint,Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, Kenny, and Byron, Kenny's older brother,who, at thirteen, is an "official juvenile delinquent."When Momma and Dad decide it's time for a visit to Grandma, Dad comes home withthe amazing Ultra-Glide, and the Watsons set out on a trip like no other. Heading South,they're going to Birmingham, Alabama, and toward one of the darkest moments inAmerica's history.By turns comic, tragic, and touching, this remarkable Newbery Honor work, delightfullyperformed by LeVar Burton in this unabridged production, will delight listeners young andold as they meet Christopher Paul Curtis, a storyteller of bold ambition and a true andoriginal voice and his inimitable Watsons.Christopher Paul Curtis is the bestselling author of Bud, Not Buddy, winnerof the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award, among many otherhonors. Christopher Paul Curtis grew up in Flint, Michigan. After high school,he began working on the assembly line at Fisher Body Flint Plant No. 1 whileattending the Flint branch of the University of Michigan, where he beganwriting essays and fiction. He is now a full-time writer. Look for Bud, NotBuddy on audio from Listening Library.LeVar Burton played Kunte Kinte in the acclaimed mini-series Roots. Hestarred in both Star Trek: The Next Generation films as Lt. Commander GeordiLaForge, the role he made famous on television. Other credits include aregular role on the CBS series Christy, and he serves as host and contributingproducer of the Emmy Award®-winning children's program Reading Rainbow. Excerpted from The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.