Kenneth Watson – The main character and narrator of the story, the younger of the two sons of the Watsons. Kenny is
ten years old
. He is an excellent/intelligent student with many capabilities, and has a lazy eye, which makes him the target of bullying at Clark Elementary School.
Who is Kenny in the book Watsons Go to Birmingham?
Kenny Watson is
the multi-faceted, 10-year-old protagonist of The Watsons Go to Birmingham
-1963. He is the middle child in the Watson family, wedged between his older brother, Byron, and younger sister, Joetta.
What grade is Kenny in The Watsons Go to Birmingham?
Kenny is 10 years old and in the
4th Grade
.
Does Kenny love to read in The Watsons Go to Birmingham?
He tries to tell us that people only think he's smart because he loves to read, but we're not buying that either.
Kenny does well in all his school subjects
, and he reads so well that his teachers make him show off his skills in front of the older classes at school. The kid can even read upside down.
Who is the oldest in the Watsons Go to Birmingham?
Byron
is the oldest of the Watson children, and Kenny introduces him: “Byron has just turned thirteen so he was officially a teenage juvenile delinquent” (Curtis, 1995, p. 2).
What was Kenny waiting for?
Kenny hides behind the couch because he's waiting
to see if the magic powers will work to make him feel better, too
. Momma starts making Kenny do stuff with Rufus, but Kenny doesn't feel like playing with toys anymore, so he gives all his dinosaurs away. She also makes Kenny do stuff with Byron and Joey.
Why does Mr alums want Kenny to read for his students?
Alums wants to use Kenny as a way of driving home the message of how important it is to be able to read well. He hopes that by getting Kenny to read to them, his students will understand the
importance of being familiar and comfortable with works of literature
.
How does Byron tell Kenny to hide his lazy eye?
He also has a lazy eye. Byron helps by intervening when Kenny is teased and by
telling him to keep his head straight and look at people sideways
so his lazy eye is less obvious.
How did Kenny think of Rufus?
Kenny believes that
Rufus will be his”saver” by taking the mean spirited attention away from Kenny, and having it directed at himself
. Initially, Kenny even participates in the jeers and taunts, but then discovers he does not care to be one of those kids and stops.
What does Kenny think Birmingham looks like?
Kenny is surprised that Birmingham looks so
much like Flint, with regular houses and great big trees
. It's been ten years since the Watsons
How did Kenny apologize to Rufus?
Rufus
stops hanging out
with Kenny for a while, but eventually Momma helps Kenny apologize and Rufus forgives him. Kenny tells us all about Byron nearly getting burned for playing with matches, killing the bird and then crying about it, and coming home with his hair chemically straightened.
What do the Watsons call their car?
The family has nicknamed the car
the “Brown Bomber
,” and it has several antiquated features, such as a metal bar running down the middle of the windshield (which cars did not have in 1963). Before the family heads south to Alabama, Mr. Watson buys a special record player for the car, which he refers to as a TT AB-700.
Why did Kenny think Joetta was dead?
Why did Kenny think Joetta was dead? Kenny thought Joey was dead
because she was at the church that day and when he went to see what happened the whole building was blocked by rocks and pieces of the building
. … When Joey came home Kenny thought that Wool Pooh got to her and that is why she is acting so weird.
Why did joetta leave the church who saved her?
Joetta explains that she left the church
because she was so hot
. Then she saw Kenny wave to her so she chased him down the street!
Why does Joey think Kenny is acting so weird?
Why does Joey think Kenny is acting weird?
She thinks he is teasing her
.
Why did Kenny get a haircut from his Dad?
Kenny is trying to get Byron back for always picking on him, especially because he knows that Byron is on “death row”. His Dad should “ground-him” for a month by keeping him from his friends after school. He could also oput his hair in a style to make him look like
a girl – embarrass
him.
