Kenny runs in the house and Byron explains that a neighbor just came by and said that someone dropped a bomb on Joey's church. Byron runs out the door. Kenny stands there for a minute in shock, then he follows Byron and everyone else in Birmingham toward the church. When Kenny gets to the church, it's complete chaos.
No, Joetta "Joey" Watson does not die in the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (1995).
Byron gets sick after hitting the bird for a couple of reasons. He had just eaten "a bag and a half of Swedish Cremes and some green apples", so he probably wasn't feeling too well to begin with. But the real reason he begins to vomit is because he is sickened by his own meanness.
Bobo Brazil Meets the SheikMomma's so excited, she starts honking the horn like a crazy woman. Kenny is surprised that Birmingham looks so much like Flint, with regular houses and great big trees. It's been ten years since the Watsons last visited Birmingham, so Kenny and Joey have never actually met Grandma Sands.
Byron has vague memories of his time in Birmingham more than 10 year earlier—which included fear of his grandmother, so he is not eager to return. When the family arrives, however, he cannot dispute that Grandma Sands is warm and welcoming, and with a little prompting, he treats her with proper respect.
Kenny hides behind the couch because he's waiting to see if the magic powers will work to make him feel better, too. Momma starts making Kenny do stuff with Rufus, but Kenny doesn't feel like playing with toys anymore, so he gives all his dinosaurs away.
When the Watsons travel to Birmingham, Alabama to drop him off to their Grandma Sands to set Byron straight, Byron is changed forever. Throughout the story, Christopher Paul Curtis first portrays Byron as a selfish and cruel character, but by the end, Byron changes into a more mature 13 year old.
Byron helps Kenny feel better at the end of the book by telling Kenny everything will be alright.
In chapter 7 of The Watsons Go to Birmingham, Byron learns that he can't pull one over on his parents. He gets his hair straightened, which they also call a process, a do, a butter, and a conk. Momma Watson is furious, but it is Dad who cuts off all of Byron's hair and then shaves his head. They call him 'Yul Watson.
Nazi Parachutes Attack America and Get Shot Down over the Flint River by Captain Byron Watson and his Flamethrower of Death. Now that's a chapter title. Byron gets caught lighting matches for fun (this kid really is a delinquent), and Momma swears that the next time she catches him starting a fire, she will burn him.
He has a lazy eye and is an excellent student, both of which make him the target of bullying at Clark Elementary School. Kenny often fights with Byron, and almost always gets back at him. He loves to read and is extremely smart.
In chapter 8 of The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, the kids know something is up when Dad starts to fix up the Brown Bomber. The car gets new used tires, a new antenna, new spark plugs, oil, and antifreeze, topped off with new brown and white seat covers for the front seat.
(When he was in second grade, a teacher once had him read passages of Langston Hughes's work to Byron's fifth grade class.) The second issue is Kenny's lazy eye. However, Byron taught him a way to avoid having people look at his eye: Kenny just has to look at people sideways when they talk to him.
In Chapter 3 of The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, Kenny makes friends with Rufus Fry. Rufus and his brother Cody are poor and have only a few changes of clothing. They also don't bring any lunch to school. Larry Dunn and the other kids make fun of the Fry brothers because of this, and Kenny joins in.
Momma sends Byron and Kenny to the store to get some milk, bread, and tomato paste for dinner. Instead of giving them money, though, she tells Byron to sign for it. She explains that Mr. Mitchell (the owner) will allow them to sign for their groceries during the week and then pay the bill on payday.
Mr. Watson calls the landlord a "snake in the grass" because he felt that the landlord was avoiding the Watsons so that their heating problem wouldn't have to be fixed.
Why did Momma have the whole trip to Birmingham planned? (Sample response: She wanted to have a tight schedule so that they would avoid spending too much money and she wanted to prevent Dad from trying to drive too far while exhausted.)
What is Kenny referring to when he sees "the scariest things" he's ever seen? Describe them. He is referring to the stars in the sky and that there were more than usual. He describes it as if it looks like a deformed, evil, one-armed space robot.
What is Byron's plan for payback during the car ride? Before, the car trip Buphead was vising and Byron told him that for the entire trip he would not speak one word. He would give them silent treatment.
Why does dad say Byron must go to Birmingham? Dad says he needs to go to Alabama because there are things he cant learn in Flint and spending time down in Alabama will help open his eyes and remove some of the temptations.
What secret does Kenny know about but decide not to share wit Mrs. Watson? They're not going to follow Mrs. Watson's notebook.
The Watson family in the novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963, makes the journey across five states from Flint, Michigan to Birmingham, Alabama in the summer of 1963.
Mama is planning the trip because she is organized and wanted to know which hotels and restaurants let black people in. Kenny feels scared because it is so dark out and so cold, and when Byron tells him about all of the white people and how they hate blacks, that makes Kenny even more scared.
The overarching theme of this novel is that of family. This is a character-driven story, which gives the reader a slice of family life, through Kenny's eyes, as he comes to understand the power that lies in familial love. The reader can see that love between the Watsons in countless ways throughout the novel.
The Watsons Go To Birmingham--1963Challenged in the Stafford County, Va. middle schools (2002) because a parent was offended by some language. The book is a 1996 Newbery Honor winner and the same year was named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.
Published in 1995, The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963 was Christopher Paul Curtis's first book. It won the Newbery Honor, which is pretty much the best prize you can get for children's literature in the United States. Read: this book is amazing.
The Bomb. The bombing itself is pretty climactic, but in terms of the story, the climax comes when Kenny goes into the church after the bombing. He finds a shoe that looks just like hers and thinks that the Wool Pooh has her, so he runs back home scared.
