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The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963

by Christopher Paul Curtis

Subject
African American & Black
Age
6-8 years
Format
Mass Market Paperback
Pages
272
Publisher
Laurel Leaf Library
Size
10.4 cm × 17.3 cm
ISBN
9780440228004
During one of the most important times in the civil rights movement, one unforgettable family goes on a road trip in this Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree, from author Christopher Paul Curtis, recipient of the Coretta Scott King–Virginia Hamilton Award for Lifetime Achievement.

When the Watson family—ten-year-old Kenny, Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron—sets out on a trip south to visit Grandma in Birmingham, Alabama, they don’t realize that they’re heading toward one of the darkest moments in America’s history. The Watsons’ journey reminds us that even in the hardest times, laughter and family can help us get through anything.

"A modern classic." —NPR

“Marvelous . . . both comic and deeply moving.” —The New York Times

"One of the best novels EVER." —Jacqueline Woodson, Newbery Honor and National Book Award–winning author of Brown Girl Dreaming

Bonus Content
• New foreword and afterword from the author
• Map of the Watsons’ journey
• Original manuscript pages and letter from the Newbery committee
• Personal essays celebrating the book’s legacy by award-winning authors: Elizabeth Acevedo, Chris Crutcher, Kate DiCamillo, Varian Johnson, David Barclay Moore, Jason Reynolds, Jerry Spinelli, Vince Vawter, Rita Williams-Garcia, and Jacqueline Woodson

Data provided by BiblioShare.

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What reviewers said

AN ALA TOP TEN BEST BOOK
AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK
AN IRA YOUNG ADULT'S CHOICE
A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BEST BOOK
NAMED TO MULTIPLE STATE AWARD LISTS
"This is a book that changes lives. It certainly changed mine."
Kate DiCamillo, two-time Newbery Medalist
"I identify with so much in Christopher Paul Curtis's engrossing classic, The Watsons Go to Birmingham--1963." —David Barclay Moore, winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award for New Talent
"The Watsons—a Newbery and Coretta Scott King honoree—opens the door to important conversation.”
Laurie Halse Anderson, The New York Times
"An exceptional first novel."
Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Superb . . . a warmly memorable evocation of an African American family."
The Horn Book Magazine, starred review
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© 2026 Peekabooks Inc. All Rights Reserved.