The Watsons Go To Birmingham, 1963is a quirky little book. The title is quirky (What's with the whole comma and year thing?) and centers around a quirky family. However, it soon becomes clear that there is much more to this story than the humor behind a boy getting his lips stuck to the side mirror of a car. (Admit it, though, when the dad joked around about Byron kissing himself, you laughed.)

In addition to the weird cast of characters, the progression of the story can be confusing for some readers. The first few chapters might feel like a collection of short stories, and though the title says they're going somewhere, there's no mention of that until chapter 9. Because of this format, some students may not feel like this book is engaging enough. Our solution? In order to keep them going, have them track the behaviors of Byron. Tell them that the chapters to come are all because of Byron's "delinquency." Things are definitely about to go south, literally and figuratively.