The Watsons Go To Birmingham - 1963

The story of the Watson family, who live in Flint, MI in the 60s. Kenny, the middle child shares family stories of his simple life in the cold north. His older brother Byron is a bit of a troublemaker. When their parents feel By needs a change of scenery to straighten him out, they road trip in the Brown Bomber to the grandma's in Birmingham. The arrive at a pivotal time in the Civil Rights Movement and their local church is bombed leaving four girls dead.  This experience haunts Kenny long afterward and it takes a special person to dig him out of his spiral.

This books is filled with wonderful familial stories long before the road trip takes place. Life is simple for the Watsons and there is random hint every now and then that they left the south for a reason, but the reader doesn't know why until they prepare for the road trip. The author does a great job of working the dangers of traveling as a black family in that time. Momma critically prepares their every move so they meet little resistance from the locals.  The actual road tip opens up a great time to read Ruth and the Green Book, which is a 2012 Bluebonnet nominee and covers this very topic.  If I were using Watsons as my read aloud, I would weave this important picture book into the mix to provide a better understanding of Momma and her preparedness, or Daddy and his decision to scrap Momma's 3-day plan and drive the 18 hours in one swoop.

There is definitely some middle school language to be prepared for when reading allowed, but this book is so good it is worth the effort.

The Gollywhoppers Game

Gil Goodson had a pretty good life prior to The Incident. During and after his father was accused of stealing money from his employer, the Golly Toy and Game Company, everything changed - kids were mean, his family was stressed, and although his dad was cleared, no one seemed to get past it.  The Gollywhoppers Games offered Gil a way out. He got his dad to agree to relocate if Gil won the game!

National attention is focused on the games as 25,000 teenagers competing in a stadium-wide trivia game whittle down to select few who must compete as a team, and then as individuals. Gil created notebooks which he studied on the company, its founder, and the products it created. He must also solve riddles and stunts faster than everyone to move his way toward the finish line as the events are televised for all to see.

To get a vibe for this story, think Charlie and the Chocolate Factory meets The Amazing Race. Once in the elite group, the challenges are written for the reader to play along. As a teacher, post the riddles on a walk or to your website for the kids to spend some time breaking down the code to solve along with Gil. Other books that feature sections where a reader can "play along" with the character include Chasing Vermeer and The Mysterious Benedict Society.