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.

• ·          Designs for the Brown Bomber

• ·        Design a device to protect against drowning in the lake … Getting caught by “Wool Pool”

• ·        A social system for riding a school bus without being picked on

• ·        Getting young students to be excited about learning

• ·        Keeping the house warm

• ·        A system to share toys without them being taken.

• ·        Catching the Turtle

• ·        Designing something to keep a driver awake

• ·        Create a concept for a motel chain that welcomes all people.

Designing the interstate highway system … Big program developed in the Eisenhower time frame