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A review by larosareads
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis
4.0
Young Kenny Watson is the middle child in one fun-loving, quirky family. In fact, it’s his brother’s latest shenanigans that send these residents of Flint, Michigan to their mother’s old stomping ground, Birmingham, Alabama.
Kenny’s brother needs some good old fashioned discipline from his maternal grandmother. The road trip and arrival is full of adventurous moments, but no one could have anticipated the last and most impactful experience the family would have before heading back home.
This award-winning middle grade novel went in so many directions. There were laugh-out-loud moments, tender moments between family members, and a surprisingly emotional twist at the end. While I can appreciate this book’s success and appeal, I struggled to find and yearned for a sustained moment of a storyline. I felt like the book hopped around a bit much and took the reader through one extreme emotion to another. In other words, the reading experience lacked fluidity for me.
Nonetheless, I am intrigued and will check out the movie adaptation.
Kenny’s brother needs some good old fashioned discipline from his maternal grandmother. The road trip and arrival is full of adventurous moments, but no one could have anticipated the last and most impactful experience the family would have before heading back home.
This award-winning middle grade novel went in so many directions. There were laugh-out-loud moments, tender moments between family members, and a surprisingly emotional twist at the end. While I can appreciate this book’s success and appeal, I struggled to find and yearned for a sustained moment of a storyline. I felt like the book hopped around a bit much and took the reader through one extreme emotion to another. In other words, the reading experience lacked fluidity for me.
Nonetheless, I am intrigued and will check out the movie adaptation.