Works by
Christopher Paul Curtis
(Writer)

• The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 (1995)
  A wonderful middle-grade novel narrated by Kenny, 9, about his middle-class black family, the Weird  Watsons of Flint, Michigan. When Kenny's  13-year-old brother, 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.)

• Bud, Not Buddy (1999) -- Winner 2000 Newbury Medal
  It's 1936 Flint, Michigan. Times may be hard, and 10-year-old Bud may be a motherless boy, but Bud's got a few things going for him: 1. He has his own suitcase full of special things; 2. He's the author of "Bud Caldwell's Rules and Things for Having a Funner Life and Making a Better Liar Out of Yourself"; 3. His momma never told him who his father was, but she left a clue: posters of Herman E. Calloway and his band of renown, the Dusky Devastators of the Depression. Bud is sure those posters will lead him to his father. Once he decides to hit the road, nothing can stop him, not hunger, not fear, not would-be vampires, not even Herman E. Calloway himself.

• Buddys Song (2001)

• Bucking the Sarge (2004)
  LUTHER T. FARRELL has got to get out of Flint, Michigan.
  
  As his best friend Sparky says, "Flint's nothing but the Titanic."
  
  And his mother, a.k.a. the Sarge, says, "Take my advice and stay off the sucker path."
  
  The Sarge milked the system to build an empire of slum housing and group homes. Luther's just one of the many people trapped in the Sarge's Evil Empire--but he's about to bust out.
  
  If Luther wins the science fair this year, he'll be on track for college and a future as America's best-known and best-loved philosopher. All he's got to do is beat his arch rival Shayla Patrick, the beautiful daughter of Flint's finest undertaker--and the love of Luther's life.
  
  Sparky's escape plans involve a pit bull named Poofy and the world's scariest rat. Oh, and Luther. Add to the mix Chester X., Luther's mysterious roommate; Dontay Gaddy, a lawyer whose phone number is 1-800-SUE'M ALL; and Darnell Dixon, the Sarge's go-to guy who knows how to break all the rules.

• Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (2005)
  Mr. Chickee, the genial blind man in the neighborhood, gives 9-year-old Steven a mysterious bill with 15 zeros on it and the image of a familiar but startling face. Could it be a quadrillion dollar bill? Could it be real? Well, Agent Fondoo of the U.S. Treasury Department and his team of Secret Government Agents are determined to get that money back! But Steven and his best friends, Russell and Zoopy the giant dog, are more than a match for the Feds. After all, Steven is the president of the Flint Future Detectives Club, and the inventor of fantastic spying and detecting equipment such as the Snoopeeze 9000!

• Mr. Chickee's Messy Mission (2007 release)
  Steven and his best friend Russell are back!
  
  When Russell's dog, Rodney Rodent, jumps into a mural to chase a demonic-looking gnome and disappears, the Flint Future Detectives are on the case. With the secret password (Bow-wow-wow yippee yo yippee yay!) Steven, Richelle, and Russell enter the mural too, only to find the mysterious Mr. Chickee on the other side. To find a way out, the detectives must complete a mission—finding Rodney Rodent. And that means they're in some wild adventure!
  
  As Steven says, "I second that emotion."

See also:

• The Watsons go to Birmingham--1963: A Study Guide (1998) by Kathleen M Fischer

• Bud, Not Buddy: Book Club Novel Guide (2002) by RaphaelTaffy
  This classroom-tested Book Club Novel Guide for Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis contains a complete thematic unit that focuses on an excellent novel. The guide elaborates on the novel's major themes with related readings, writing activities, and unit projects. An overview of the Book Club program explains how students engage with literature and with each other through the program's unique use of small-group discussions.

  Detailed daily lesson plans support instruction in comprehension strategies, literary analysis, language conventions, and composition. Actual samples of student work show what you can expect your own students to achieve. Innovative blackline masters support writing, composition, critical thinking, and assessment.

• The Watsons Go to Birmingham, 1963: Teacher's Resource Manual (1999) by Mary Ellen Snodgrass

• Literature Circle Guide: Bud, Not Buddy (200) by Kathy Pounds
  This one-of-a-kind guide to running literature circles, based on Christopher Paul Curtis' Bud, Not Buddy, shows teachers how to organize small discussion groups that work! Includes stimulating questions and writing prompts that motivate students to think and respond thoughtfully. As students dive into lively discussions, they learn to identify themes, analyze vocabulary, recognize the author's craft, and respond meaningfully to the text‹all of which meet state and national language arts standards.

• Bud, not Buddy: A Study Guide (2001) by Estelle Kleinman

• Scholastic Bookfiles (2004) by Amy Griffin
  The Watsons Go To Birmingham by Christopher Paul Curtis is a favorite middle-grade novel. This companion gives backgound on the author, including an interview, questions to guide reading, clues to the story's themes, plot, characters, and setting, a glossary, writing and other activities, and more. If you loved The Watsons, you need this reading companion.

• A Guide for Using Bud, Not Buddy in the Classroom (2004) by Sarah Clark
  This resource is directly related to its literature equivalent and filled with a variety of cross-curricular lessons to do before, during, and after reading the book. This reproducible book includes sample plans, author information, vocabulary building ideas, and cross-curriculum activities.

• Christopher Paul Curtis (2005) by Ann Gaines
  For thirteen years, Christopher Paul Curtis made a good living at the Fisher Auto Body Plant in Flint, Michigan. Day in and day out, he hung doors on automobiles as they came down the line. He could support his family very well on his job, but the boredom was killing him. One day his wife, who was a nurse, offered to support the family while Christopher took a year off to work on a children’s book. The result, The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963, would change his life. Published by Delacorte, it soon became an award winner. After his second book, Bud, Not Buddy was released and also became an award winner, Christopher Paul Curtis was able to do something he had always wanted. Write full-time.

• Christopher Paul Curtis (2005) by Judy Levin