2021 Rebecca Caudill Award: Twelve Days in May: Freedom Ride 1961

The Newbery and Coretta Scott King Honoree about the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan--from Christopher Paul Curtis, author of Bud, Not Buddy, a Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott Award Winner. Enter the hilarious world of ten-year-old Kenny and his family, the Weird Watsons of Flint, Michigan. There's Momma, Dad, little sister Joetta, and brother Byron, who's thirteen and an "official juvenile delinquent." When Byron gets to be too much trouble, they head South to Birmingham to visit Grandma, the one person who can shape him up. And they happen to be in Birmingham when Grandma's church is blown up. AN ALA TOP TEN BEST BOOK AN ALA NOTABLE CHILDREN'S BOOK AN IRA YOUNG ADULT'S CHOICE A NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW BEST BOOK NAMED TO MULTIPLE STATE AWARD LISTS "Every so often a book becomes a modern classic almost as soon as it arrives on bookshelves. That happened in the mid-'90s when Christopher Paul Curtis released his first book, The Watsons Go to Birmingham -- 1963."  --NPR

Thanks largely to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka case of 1954, which declared that separate educational facilities were inherently unequal and therefore unconstitutional, the civil rights movement began to gain momentum. This movement, which was led by such activists as Martin Luther King Jr., espoused nonviolent protest as a means to ending racial segregation and promoting equal rights for African Americans. This book spotlights the rise of the civil rights movement, offering students a close look at one of the most remarkable and influential movements in U.S. history. Commanding photographs and a wealth of special features enhance the exciting text, making this book an ideal reference to the civil rights movement.