The Watsons Go to Alabama in 1963.

Wilona constantly threatens to do what she always said she would if he keeps playing with matches.When she was a child, her house caught fire and she doesn't want that to happen again.Kenny peeked in on him in the bathroom when he was pretending to make a movie in which he lit toilet paper parachutes on fire and dropped them into the toilet.

Wilona wants to know why the toilet is being flushed so much.She dragged Byron down the stairs by the neck and told Joey to bring her a box of matches.Wilona asked Kenny if he wanted to defend Byron, but he refused.Wilona is going to get the matches.Byron was told to run and get away by Joey.Wilona wants to burnByron's fingers so that he never touches matches again.

Wilona explained that she has to do this even though she does not want to, because if she doesn't, their house might be set on fire.When Wilona catches him, he is about to touch a lit match to his fingers, but Joey blew out the match before it got to him.As her mother tries again and again, Joey continues to do this, until finally Wilona gives up and lets Daniel take responsibility for punishing Byron later that night.

Wilona wants the two of them to go to the store and get some things for dinner.She tells them to sign for the food, rather than giving them money, so they can pay Mr. Mitchell.The arrangement is seen as a sign that the Watsons are on welfare, even though they are not.Wilona scolds him, saying that they have eaten welfare food in the house before.The boys must listen to her and go to the store.

Kenny knows that Kenny will be embarrassed by asking to sign for the groceries if he holds his spot in line while he looks at comics.Kenny told Mr. Mitchell to put the groceries on the welfare list.Mr. Mitchell reminded him that the welfare list is not in question and that their father will pay all at once instead of a few times a week.

After the two boys leave, he wishes they had taken more free food since they only had to sign for it.Kenny was walking near Mitchell's when a cookie with pink frosting came out of nowhere and hit him on the head.The cookies were thrown at him by a nearby apple tree.Kenny is offered some of the entire bag of Swedish creme cookies.Kenny knows that the parents have no idea that their child is signing for groceries.Kenny is in trouble since he has eaten some of the cookies, so he can't tell the whole family.

The bird is sitting on a telephone wire.The bird falls to the ground after being hit in the chest.Kenny was astonished that Byron hit the bird, but he was so horrified that he vomited.Byron insists that he has simply gotten sick from eating apples from the apple tree, and tells Kenny to scram; he does, but comes back later and sees thatByron has made the bird a little grave and buried it.

The main theme of this novel isByron's behavior.He doesn't care about the rules that go beyond the typical "rebellious adolescent" stage.His need to continue a behavior even when asked to stop numerous times is notable.To a point that is frightening,Byron is all about self-indulgence.

Byron's antics have not become the main source of conflict in the novel.The six small vignettes readers have read so far cover a different incident almost every time.One of the main threads is his pattern of behavior.They all have the same characters, but they each give a glimpse into a different part of Kenny's life, with the one major component being trouble caused by Byron.

The first sign of the parents' frustration with their oldest son's behavior is shown in Chapter 5.Wilona's choice of discipline is controversial, but it is the only thing that Byron is afraid of.The other children are not in danger of being disciplined like that.Joey's compassion and desire to protect her older brothers is shown by her willingness to stand up for her friend.

The family's discussion about welfare adds another layer to the theme of class division present in this story.Kenny and his siblings don't have a lot of money, but they do have some money that they are saving.The idea of being on welfare is something Daniel and Wilona do not like to discuss with their children.Even though normal families might need a little extra help sometimes, the two Watson parents associate welfare with poverty and shame, even though they are unfamiliar with it.

His disobedience to the family's financial situation has taken a new level because of his willingness to take advantage of the situation.He thought that signing for food meant that his parents were on welfare, but he still exploits the grocery arrangement to get himself free food.He doesn't understand the importance of respecting authority and money, which is a sign of his immaturity and will lead to many serious problems in the novel.

The hard exterior hides a softer, more emotional side.Kenny is not as affected by the death of that bird.Even though some of the things he has done have been pretty brutal,Byron has never shown remorse for beating up a human.He became sick over the fact that he accidentally killed a bird.This response shows some small traces of the compassion already apparent in his younger siblings, and suggests that there is more to him than meets the eye.

The question and answer section is a great place to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.