The Watsons Go to Birmingham: 1963 characters

Appears from the start

A ten-year-old boy in Flint, Michigan, who narrates his family's story. Kenny is academically gifted and has a lazy eye that makes him a target at school. Sensitive, imaginative, and often dependent on his older brother despite their conflicts, he observes both the comedy within the Watson household and the frightening world beyond it.

Also known as By

Appears from the start

Kenny's thirteen-year-old brother, the oldest Watson child and a feared student at school. Byron bullies Kenny and breaks household rules, but his swagger exists alongside a strong attachment to his family that he rarely shows openly.

Also known as Joey

Appears from the start

Kenny's five-year-old younger sister. Affectionate and trusting, she often defends Byron when his misbehavior brings punishment and serves as the emotional center of the Watson children's bond.

Also known as Momma

Appears from the start

The Watson children's mother, raised in Birmingham, Alabama. She manages the household with careful rules and vivid warnings, worries intensely about the Michigan cold, and tries to protect her children while correcting Byron's escalating behavior.

Also known as Dad

Appears from the start

The Watson children's father, whose jokes and stories animate family life. He works to provide stability, supports Wilona's discipline, and responds to Byron's misconduct with a mixture of humor, patience, and firmness.

First appears in chapter 2

A new boy at Kenny's school who has moved north from Arkansas with his younger brother. His poor clothes and Southern speech attract ridicule, but his kindness and skill with toy dinosaurs make him a natural friend for Kenny.

First appears in chapter 2

Rufus's younger brother, who arrives at Clark Elementary with him and shares the poverty that marks both boys out among their classmates.

First appears in chapter 2

Byron's close friend and fellow troublemaker. His presence reinforces Byron's public identity as a bully and helps draw him toward choices that alarm his parents.

First appears in chapter 4

A school bully who steals from younger children. Although Byron is no model of kindness, he intervenes when Larry targets Kenny, showing the protection that exists beneath the brothers' constant antagonism.

First appears in chapter 9

Wilona's mother in Birmingham. Strong-willed and direct, she is expected to impose the discipline Byron's parents fear they can no longer manage in Flint.

First appears in chapter 12

Grandma Sands's companion in Birmingham. His easy familiarity with the family surprises the children, and his stories introduce Kenny to dangers in the nearby countryside.

First appears in chapter 14

A woman at the Watson family's church in Birmingham who gives Joetta a small angel figure and warmly welcomes the visiting child.