In the book The Watsons Go to Birmingham the mood dramatically changes from beginning to end. Its starts off cheery, then frightening, then sad. This story involves many conflicts and little events that get bigger and bigger. Each chapter has its own plot.

In the first chapter of the novel the mood is not really clear, but the author is supposed to make it sound funny the way how Byron got his lips stuck to the freezing cold mirror. This chapter also shows a “typical” family by telling how they all gather up on the couch and watch the news while the father, Daniel Watson, makes fun of his wife Wilona about almost marrying a dumb person. It is funny because it shows the conflict between two brothers fighting about who does more work. This cheeriness ends toward the end though.

In chapter 14 the mood dramatically changes from any other chapter in the book. The mood can be sad, shocking, confusing, or even scary. This chapter is confusing in the beginning when a boom is heard and everyone goes to see what it was. Its is also confusing when Kenny pulls the shoe and you think if that is Joey’s shoe or not. It is also confusing when Kenny talks to Joey and thinks she is dead, and she really confuses the reader when she says, “ I left the church because I got to hot and saw you waving so I went to follow you.” Someone set off a bomb in the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. This chapter is sad because Kenny saw the two girls laying dead on the grass. This chapter is shocking because the reader finds out that Joey is alive.

In chapter 15 the mood is confusing, but then happy after Kenny checks out of the pet hospital. The mood is confusing on Kenny’s thoughts of the church. He didn’t really know why he was upset. After Byron talks to Kenny about the church saying it is his not his fault. The words Byron say are true and very well said. When Kenny checks out of the pet hospital he takes his last step of maturity in the novel.

The moods in this novel dramatically change from each chapter. Brotherhood between Byron and Kenny slowly increase in the novel. The over all moods of this story are funny, sad, shocking, and confusion.