As a blue-collar auto assembly-line worker, Christopher Paul Curtis dreamed of making it as an author. He caught the attention of a New York publishing house after submitting his manuscript in a fiction contest. Though he did not win, editors took note of his talent and asked him to adapt his historical novel for young people. A year later, his first novel, The Watsons Go to Birmingham?1963, was published to critical acclaim. He has since earned a number of awards including the Newbery and a Coretta Scott King Award, and has legions of devoted fans.