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.