The Watson s live n Flint,Michigan where the kids go to Clark Elementary. Bryon is in sixth grade and he is the boss of the school. his brother Kenny is in 4th grade , and his sister Joetta(joey), is in kindergarten . At school Kenny is at the bottom of the chain and is constantly picked on. A new kid came to school named Rufus and hes is basically a description of a poor person with raged clothes and speaks with a southern accent and Kenny thought people will start to pick on Rufus instead of him but in the end him an Rufus become good friends. the year continues to progress and Kenny as our narrator keeps us up to date on everything that happens. mostly it deals with Byron causing trouble all the time. He beat up Larry, he sets things on fire, and he killed a bird with a cookie. At this point mamma and dad is frustrated and decides to take a trip to Birmingham to leave Byron with there very strict grandmas house.  Down at Grandma Sands house out of nowhere Byron seems to be acting like a respectable young boy everyone is shocked . Joey goes to church with the neighbors, while she is away a bomb goes off at a local church.The family goes to try and find her but she wasn't there. joey thought she saw Byron waving at her in the house window so she left the church before the bombing so she was okay.