Ten-year-old Kenny knows why everyone in Flint, Michigan, refers to his family as the Weird Watsons; they're always laughing or crying or making a scene. And then there's Kenny's older brother, Byron, who's now 13 and an "official juvenile delinquent." If Byron doesn't pass sixth grade soon, he'll be the oldest kid at Clark Elementary School! But instead of studying, Byron spends his time cutting school, acting out, and bullying Kenny. When one of his stunts goes too far, Kenny's parents decide it's time for Byron to live with his strict Grandma Sands in Alabama.

The road trip from Flint to Birmingham is wild and wacky, even for the Weird Watsons. But it's 1963—and the family is headed right toward one of the darkest moments in America's history. Things are very different in the South, and soon the Watsons find themselves in the middle of the emerging civil rights movement. Will Kenny be able to handle it all—especially when tragedy hits a little too close to home?

Award-winning author Christopher Paul Curtis combines humor, heartbreak, and history into one remarkable read!