Review | The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

The Crossover by Kwame Alexander was the winner of the 2015 Newbery Award. The story is a quick read about a junior high school basketball player named Josh. Josh’s father was a famous basketball player in Europe and has taught Josh and his brother JB how to play the game; that combined with a lot of natural talent, makes for the winning of a lot of basketball games.

I initially had a difficult time getting engaged in this book. I just don’t have anything in common with the characters’ lives. However, I started listening to the audio book, but then switched to reading the paper version. This is a book that should be read rather than listened to. I quickly became invested in the story as soon as I began reading it. I love poetry, and I suspect, that this played a part in that.

The Crossover does so many things well. I love how it’s told in verse. I love the strong family in this story. I love that the main characters are not perfect people, but that they learn from their mistakes. I love the way Alexander teaches vocabulary through the text and how he addresses feelings and how to deal with them.

I cried at the end of The Crossover. I think it will be a FANTASTIC read for young people, especially boys, and especially when teaching about the value of poetry.

Parent’s guide:

Sex: none
Language: none
Violence: none

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Title: The Crossover
Author: Kwame Alexander
Genre: Childen's Literature
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: March 18, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 240

"With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering," announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he's got mad beats, too, that tell his family's story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood from Kwame Alexander (He Said, She Said 2013).
Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realize breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story's heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family