The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 | Plot Summary

The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963 Overview

In the opening pages of The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, all five members of the Watson family are sitting wrapped in blankets against the cold of the apartment. Mrs. Watson is convinced they are going to freeze to death.

Through the eyes of ten-year-old Kenny, the reader learns about the crazy antics of his family. Kenny believes that everyone in his neighborhood and school must think his family is strange—"The Weird Watsons".

Through Kenny's eyes we view his tenuous love/hate relationship with his older brother Byron, often called By. Kenny's feelings about By swing between fear of By's bullying tactics, awe of By's "fantastic adventures," and pleasure in By's sometimes unexpected kindness.

Kenny frequently tries to understand how a bully can have such a great sense of humor. By's craziness includes a narcissistic attitude which freezes his lips to the side-view mirror...
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