Watsons Go to Birmingham Book Review

Hoselton Book Review (10/2006)
Published by Yearling (1997)

Christopher Paul Curtis. _The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963_ x + 210 pp., $6.50 (paper), ISBN 0-440-41412-1.

Reviewed by Alex Hoselton, History and secondary social studies licensure students, Augsburg College

Interestingly Enough… it’s good.

The idiom “Don’t judge a book by it’s cover” rings true for C.P. Curtis’ The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963. One might think most of the book is centered on a trip, or a majority of the book is spent on a story in Birmingham. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Most of the book takes place in frosty Flint Michigan during winter. However, the most substantive writing takes place in the shorter Birmingham pages towards the end.

On a scale of readability for students it’s quite pleasing. Students most likely to read this book are in grades fifth through seventh.

What happens when an adolescent is exposed to a traumatic event? This book dives into this question with quality narrative. Serious issues of childhood development such as depression and self esteem are addressed well. This book would be good for students to be exposed to others problems and understand what kid their age might feel like in a world seemingly crashing down around them.


7/10