The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963

Kenny’s thoughts, actions, and reactions all demonstrate a character who is struggling with growing up. Readers see in Kenny a youthful narrator whose family makes up the biggest part of his world, along with school peers and teachers. He shows his gullibility in relaying how he lost his dinosaurs to LJ, but there is also the sense of a push in Kenny to mature. For example, with each of Byron’s stories (such as the frozen, dead Southerners in the garbage trucks and the Wool Pooh), Kenny feels like he should know better than to believe Byron and that he is too grown up for Byron to sell made-up nonsense. Kenny realizes, however, that he is tempted frequently to go along with what Byron tells him: “I wanted to know too. Even though I was in fourth grade I fell for a lot of the stuff Byron came up with. He made everything seem real interesting and important” (52). Kenny also shares his desire to be more grown-up to his father, referencing his old pastime of pretend shaving—"Aww, man, I’m way too old for that. Besides, I’m starting to get a real mustache” (105)—and in his interior