By Christopher Paul Curtis
This book won a Newberry Award Honor Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award for its outstanding plot and underlying peace-promoting message. This book is a feel-good read containing both humor and sincere human emotion. I found myself either laughing, smiling or crying while reading it. Even though he includes humor in every chapter,Curtis touches on several serious and heart-wrenching aspects including the physical disability of a child, poverty, bullying, gangs, racism, and hate acts. These hard topics are woven into the lighthearted plot revealing friendship, love, and trust.
The book is told in first person narrative by the main character Kenny, the middle child in a "wacky" Watson family. Kenny's experiences and relationships with his family and friends serve as the basis for the book's plot. Kenny's relationship with his older brother Byron is especially important in the plot because it acts as a "gateway" for several of the book's main themes: childhood experiences, sibling rivalry, unspoken "family" bonds, and the realization of the many cruelties in the world. The character Rufus, the "new" kid in town (and eventually Kenny's best friend) promotes an emotional and mental growth in Kenny. Kenny learns a few hard lessons from Rufus and becomes more in tune with others' feelings and their situations.
The last few chapters in the book are by far the most powerful and emotional. It is during this part the reader understands Curtis' book dedication which is in memory of the three young African American girls who were killed during a church bombing. Curtis states that their deaths were "the toll for one day in one city." After reading the dedication at the beginning of the book, I expected the plot to be most sad and serious. By the time I was halfway through the book, I wondered why Curtis chose his specific dedication. The last part of the book put an end to my speculations and brought the book's many themes together.
I enjoyed every aspect of this book. Curtis is a strong and profound writer who possesses the ability to acclimate tough subjects into children's literature all while including humor and sentimental themes. I would recommend this book to upper elementary, middle and high school students. 
I loved this book as well! When I began reading the book it was nothing like I thought it would be. It was so funny! I really connected with the characters because he truly brings the reader into the world of the Watsons. As I read, I waited for the intense, sad stuff to come (based on dedication) but they did not even take the trip until the 9th chapter. Do you think this was done purposely? I feel that he waited to make us fall in love with each character. Also, weren’t the chapter titles awesome! I loved how they were so strange, “Tangled Up in God’s Beard” yet the title totally connected to the chapter, bringing out the most important part!
ReplyDeleteDoreen Santiago :)
After thinking about the same thing myself I want to say that Christopher Paul Curtis did that on purpose. Not only does it allow the reader to fall in love with the family, it also emphasizes the fact that this kind of violence was happening to regular people and families. They didn't have to be actively participating or fighting back. They could simply be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
DeleteWhile reading this book for the first time, I somehow was more focused on the serious side of the story instead of the humor that Mr. Curtis had worked into this book to allow readers to learn about the civil rights, but on a lighter side. I went back through and gained a different appreciation of the humor and felt that the humor and story were interwoven well to give the reader a new appreciation of each character and the seriousness of the riots in Birmingham.
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