The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
The year is 1963, and self-important Byron Watson is the bane of his  younger brother Kenny's existence. Constantly in trouble for one thing or  another, from straightening his hair into a "conk" to lighting fires to freezing  his lips to the mirror of the new family car, Byron finally pushes his family  too far. Before this "official juvenile delinquent" can cut school or steal  change one more time, Momma and Dad finally make good on their threat to send  him to the deep south to spend the summer with his tiny, strict grandmother.  Soon the whole family is packed up, ready to make the drive from Flint,  Michigan, straight into one of the most chilling moments in America's history:  the burning of the Sixteenth Avenue Baptist Church with four little girls  inside.Christopher Paul Curtis's alternately hilarious and deeply moving novel, winner  of the Newbery Honor and the Coretta Scott King Honor, blends the fictional  account of an African American family with the factual events of the violent  summer of 1963. Fourth grader Kenny is an innocent and sincere narrator; his  ingenuousness lends authenticity to the story and invites readers of all ages  into his world, even as it changes before his eyes. Curtis is also the acclaimed  author ofBud, Not Buddy,  winner of the Newbery Medal. (Ages 9 to 12)--Emilie Coulter--This text refers to theMass Market Paperbackedition.