New words

In these first five chapters I haven't found any words that looked unfamiliar. Please let me know if I missed any and I will be happy to look them up.

Predictions

So far we have had 5 chapters all introducing us to the characters and giving us in great detail alot of information about them. The only prediction that I can make at the time is that the family will be taking a trip to Birmingham since the title is "The Watsons Go to Birminghame-1963".

New Graphics

Thanks Colleen, the blog looks great!

Summary

I have just finished reading the first five chapters of the book and as the summarizer I am going to provide a short summary of what occured in the first five chapters:

In the beginning we meet the wierd Watsons and we find that our book is narrated by the youngest Watson son Kenny. The Watson family consists of the momma (who is from the south), the daddy, oldest brother Byron who is in the sixth grade but should be further along, Narrator and fourth grader Kenny and sister Joetta who is in kindergarten.

The first four chapters are all about the family's life in Flint Michigan and a fair amount of the time is spent "watching" the Watsons live in the cold of Michigan with a momma from the south who is not so keen on the cold temperature around her. The youngest Watsons stay so bundled up they can barely walk and Kenny has to help Joetta out of her clothes at school each morning just like Byron had to do for him when he was in kindergarten.

We get to see how Byron is a bit of a bully, Kenny is smart and bullied, and Joetta tries her best to keep the peace. We meet friends of Byron's and Kenny's and watch how everyone interacts with the wierd Watsons through school and play, through sibling interaction and through momma almost giving Byron the punishment of his life for playing with matches.

Chapter 1-5

Hello ladies! I don't know about you, but I really enjoyed the first 5 chapters of The Watson's Go to Birmingham. I have found several situations in which I could see myself, or that I have even been part of as I am reading the book. I have come up with the following questions for discussion:

1. In Chapter 1, C.P. Curtis gives us a description of the family and where they are living. What sort of conclusions can you draw about the family's lifestyle and status?
2. In Chapter 2, it has become obvious that Byron is a bully. Describe what a bully is to you. What kind of background do you see bully's having? Compare your description with that of Byron.
3. Chapter 3: Peer pressure is easy to get sucked into. How did Kenneth get sucked into it and how could he have handled the situation differently?
4. Chapter 4 was a hilarious chapter! What was going through your mind during the scene when Kenneth and Byron went out to clean the windows on the Brown Bomber?
5. In Chapter 5, why do you think Mrs. Watson handled the situation with Byron the way she did? How would you have handled it differently if it were you in her shoes?

These are just to get the discussion started. Because I made up the questions, I will be answering last since I already have a set answer to them. I want to see what you guys come up with, so I will post Tuesday evening before printing. Also, let me know what you think of the questions. If you have any that you would like to add, feel free!

The Watson's Go to Birmingham- 1963 Role List

Welcome to TAMUSA DIVAS Book Club!
For the next three weeks we will be discussing The Watson's Go to Birmingham-1963. Our group consists of Tanya, Chrystal, Marivel, and Colleen.

The roles for our club are as follows:

• Discussion Director: Tanya
• Summarizer and Graphics: Colleen
• Word Finder and Predictor: Chrystal
• Connector and Character Analyzer: Marivel