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    The Crossover
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    The Crossover
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    The Crossover
    Ebook221 pages3 hours

    The Crossover

    By Kwame Alexander

    4.5/5

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    About this ebook

    A million copies sold

    ‘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’

    12-year-old Josh and his twin Jordan have basketball in their blood. They’re kings of the court, star players for their school team. Their father used to be a champion player and they each want nothing more than to follow in his footsteps.
    Both on and off the court, there is conflict and hardship which will test Josh’s bond with his brother. In this heartfelt novel in verse, the boys find that life doesn’t come with a play-book and it's not all about winning.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAndersen Digital
    Release dateOct 8, 2015
    ISBN9781448188215
    Author

    Kwame Alexander

    Kwame Alexander is a poet, an educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty-five books, including his Newbery Medal–winning middle grade novel The Crossover. Some of his other works include Booked, which was longlisted for the National Book Award; The Playbook: 52 Rules to Aim, Shoot, and Score in This Game Called Life; Swing; the picture books How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem (coauthored with Deanna Nikaido), both illustrated by Melissa Sweet; and The Undefeated, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, which was longlisted for the National Book Award and won the Caldecott Medal, a Newbery Honor, and the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award. He is a regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, currently serving as their poet ambassador. He lives in Virginia with his family. Visit his website at kwamealexander.com. 

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    Reviews for The Crossover

    4.5/5

    399 ratings50 reviews

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    • 5/5
      The Crossover is a realistic fiction book written in poetry/verse format. The verses tell the story of 14 y-o Josh Bell and his family. Mr. Bell is a former European League basketball star whose career was cut short due to a knee injury that he refuses to have surgery to fix. Mr. Bell passes his love and knowledge of basketball to his twin sons, Josh and Jordan. Both boys a standout basketball stars at their school however, Josh loves the game a bit more than Jordan. Jordan discovers girls and now has a girlfriend and Josh feels like he's losing his brother and best friend. Meanwhile, Mr. Fell's heart problems begin to get worse and both boys are affected by their father's decline health. Alexander beautifully captures this story of family, friendship, and loss in verse form. The way he changes the format of between chapters when Josh is narrating the story in a more traditional line and stanza poetry form to a free verse form when Josh is talking about his basketball skills and the game his playing helps draw the reader into the emotion and pace of the story. The entire story centers around basketball from the four sections of the book being called quarters to individual chapter titles. This is a great read for any 6-12 grader and for the reluctant male reader.
    • 4/5
      Loved this book, how the text moved with the story. Interesting subject matter, and I think it will grab a lot of young boys and reluctant readers. The ending was a little overly sentimental and dramatic, but it was a good book overall.
    • 3/5


      Josh and JB are twins, amazing on the basketball court, almost 13 years old. This is the year when everything changes. The story is written in beautiful verse.

      Josh and JB’s world is one in which both parents are professionals. Their father is a former European league basketball player, and their mother is an assistant principal at the boys’ junior high school. The fact that the twins are both college-bound is an understated given. This the sweet story of av successful, close-knit African-American family in the Obama era.

      “The Crossover” doesn’t ignore contemporary issues involving race. There is a traffic stop on the way to a game, in which the boys’ father (like many an African-American man) is pulled over for a minor infraction; Josh is warned by his mother about what happens to young black men who let their tempers get the better of them; his parents fight not over money or fidelity but over the father's diet and hereditary hypertension.

      This story has not been sugar coated.

    • 5/5
      A quick, unforgettable read written in hip hope verse. On the surface The Crossover is about sports, but it's about so much more than that. Josh and his twin Jordan are real ballers. They are the stars of their middle school basketball team and if they weren't twins they would probably hate each other. Their relationship starts to sour when Jordan starts spending more of his time with a new girl then with Josh or basketball. To top it off he's worried about his dad and he wants the basketball championship trophy more than anything. Wonderfully written, appealing to boys and girls of all ages as well athletes, poets, and pretty much everyone. Definitely worthy of the Newbery medal.
    • 5/5
      This book is amazing.
      I hate basketball, but I loved this book.
      The verses are insane and it all falls together so quickly.
      I ended with tears in my eyes and amazed it was over so quickly.

      Can't recommend this enough to anyone looking for a good different read.
    • 5/5
      4.5 StarsBasketball Rule # 1In this game of lifeyour family is the courtand the ball is your heart.No matter how good you are,no matter how down you get,always leaveyour hearton the court.The Crossover encompasses so much and does it so well. It touches on family, friends, basketball, life, growing up, and the hardships and changes that come with this. While on the outside it may look like this is too much for a book to take on, Alexander weaves a tale through poetry that is both witty and heartfelt.I love that Alexander so precisely paralleled life and basketball. They are interconnected in Josh's world. Both Josh's mom and dad play prominent roles in his life and it was refreshing to see strong parents who not only got along with their children but also parented their children. Josh's connection to his dad is an underlying theme throughout his story and one that played heavily on my heart. Josh is a prodigal basketball star at 12 and alongside his twin brother they are an unstoppable force on the court. I loved the writing in these sections. You can actually hear the staccato beat of the ball against hardwood, against asphalt, as he narrates his moves down the court. On the court, Josh is confidence, but off it, with the ever-changing canvas of prepubescent life, he is confusion, anger, loss. This comes across so clearly in his narrative. The imagery used while Josh works his way through all this is simply amazing.I expected The Crossover to be purely about basketball and maybe a few references about the game of life. What I got was something that far exceeded my expectations.
    • 4/5
      A basketball story told in free verse. Might be great for reluctant readers. Twins are both basketball players. One starts to have a girlfriend and the other is jealous and ends up throwing a basketball right at the twin's face and almost breaking his nose. Meanwhile the father suffers from heart issues related to his diet.
    • 4/5
      Crossover by written in verse is the story of African American twins Josh and JP who are in middle schoolers with excellent grades and are basketball stars in their school. Although Josh and JP are twins they are completely different on the basketball court and hairstyles. Josh and JP relationship is tested when JP is attracted to the new girl in school and Josh is left fending for himself. The novel theme is family, basketball, dreams, and rhythm. The novel's format is especially important while reading this book because it flows like a basketball game through rhythm.
    • 5/5
      This was a very well written chapter book that is written in verses. This book is about two brothers that are very good at basketball. These brothers stop talking to each other because of a girl that comes between them. The main character josh discovers information about his father that he has trouble overcoming. This book had a sad ending but it was very good. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to students in grades 4th-8th grade. Kwame makes the josh a relatable character and makes the book a smooth read.
    • 5/5
      Summary: Basketball is everything until a girl comes between two twins and their dreams. One is perfectly happy with the new arrangement of having his first girlfriend...the other, not so much. Two brothers whose lives have revolved around basketball and a close knit family, suddenly find themselves torn apart by an invisible rift caused by a girl. Dad's health issues are what ultimately bring the twins back together in this real and engaging story.Personal Response: I hate basketball, partly because I don't understand the sport, but man did I love this book. It didn't matter how I felt about the sport because the character development and writing style was so engaging. I didn't want to put this book down. An honest tale of jealousy, the desire to win, and the support of a strong and loving family working their way through dad's health issues struck home. I can't imagine anyone not immersing themselves in this story, regardless of their sports interests. This was a book for ALL readers, and it is not surprising that it won the Newbery medal. Fantastically and brilliantly written.Curriculum Connections: This book is one of the better examples of a book written in verse to lead students into a unit on poetry. This would be perfect to evaluate poetry elements in the library or classroom. It could also be used to introduce criteria used to choose the recipient of the Newbery medal. This book is also a perfect "go to " book for those sports enthusiasts in the school. I gave my copy of the book to a sixth grade girl who loves basketball, the night after I finished it. She has already dropped by the library this week to tell me how much she is totally loving the book. She is connecting.
    • 4/5
      A novel in verse about twin boys who play basketball. Enjoyable, though kind of heartbreaking in the end. Better poetry than it is a novel, though that's not really a criticism as such. Some of the poems about actually playing basketball on the court are amazing.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this YA book on basketball, family, grief, and life. And I liked the way it was written in blank verse, rhyme, and rap. Very interesting and a quick read!
    • 4/5
      This is a poetry novel that uses a variety of engaging style of poetry to draw the reader in. I could see this being particularly of interest to sports fans. It is a 2015 Newbery Medal Winner,2015 Coretta Scott King Honor Award Winner, and New York Times Bestseller.
    • 4/5
      “The Crossover” is a young adult novel and 2015 Newberry award winner, that follows the life (over several months) of 12-year-old basketball player Josh Bell (aka Filthy McNasty) during his seventh-grade year at Reggie Lewis Middle School. Josh is the identical twin brother of Jordan “JB” Bell, the son of Crystal Bell, the assistant principal, and the son of Chuck Bell, a former basketball superstar who is well-known and well-respected even years after his career ended. Josh and JB both love basketball, but it is Josh who wants to emulate his father by following in his father’s footsteps. But as everything else in life things don’t always proceeds the way we want. The brothers are moving apart from each other for the first time, Jordan has started dating, Josh has a tough time keeping his jealousy and feelings of abandonment in control, and his father is having health issues. What is particularly interesting about this book is that the text is written in a form of poetry and hip-hop, which I think would make the book more compelling to the younger reader (particular to reluctant reader). This is not normally the type of book I would read (I am trying to read all of the Newberry winners), but I found the language elegant, the plot realistic and believe this would be a great book for a family read. 4 out of 5 stars.
    • 5/5
      Very fun to read aloud! The themes, basketball and loss, went very well together and the boys in my 5th grade class loved the book! (and the girls) We then made our own poems using the same type of format, very fun!!
    • 5/5
      This was my second experience at reading a book in free verse (Brown Girl Dreaming) and I have loved it both times. This was an incredible book. Great story, wonderful characters and absolutely incredible use of language. I was so impressed at the way the author was able to say so much with so few words. But what awesome words he uses! If you are someone who really appreciates the creative use of language in a book, I would highly recommend this. It can be read in one sitting and it would make a great read-aloud at home or in a classroom.
    • 5/5
      I loved this read. I was a little leery at first of the verse approach, but it didn't take long to start hearing music as I read the book. You don't have to be a sports enthusiast to get drawn into this story. I find myself going through the list of reluctant readers I know to to see in who's hands I can place this book. I'm pretty confident this book will have them asking for more and I'll be getting multiple copies.
    • 3/5
      Sometimes with novels written in poems I don't always get the full sense of the characters or the complete spirit of the story. With this one though, there's a shimmering energy that had me envisioning the twins and their father and relating to the warmth between them (and to Josh's loneliness when Jordan freezes him out). As a bonus, reluctant readers and non- will enjoy this; at the very least they'll pick it up and look through it.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I read it with my son who I thought would enjoy it because he loves basketball. It is written in poems or raps which made it a little difficult for my son to follow at first but he did end up getting into the book. The design of the words on the pages was fun to see and the descriptions of the twins in action on the court were beautifully written. I didn't share those as my passages because you really have to SEE the words and read the poems in context to enjoy them properly. I would recommend this book for middle school age children.
    • 3/5
      At first I was kind of bleh, but as I continued to listen I have to admit that the language is beautiful and the story is one that drew me in even though I'm not really into basketball. The family relationships and themes are universal.
    • 4/5
      I wasn't super excited about reading last year's Newbery winner, despite the high ratings. Somehow a summary I skimmed of the book made me think the narrator was an arrogant preteen basketball player and the novel was just fun and action. I've also not really gotten into the "novel in verse genre" just yet.I was pleasantly surprised by this book. The narrator was quite lovable and full of enthusiasm, but he also had a lot of insecurities and fears. I was surprised that the book had me in tears by the end. The thing that bugs me about novels written in verse is that it seems like it is often just a gimmick. The writing is merely complete sentences broken up into random lines, and this fact doesn't really add anything to the story. If there is an attempt at rhythm or rhyme, it is so sporadic that it may as well not be there. I really liked that in this book Alexander picked certain sections that would have the rhythm and rhyme, and when it was done, it was done really well. He often used these devices in sections describing a basketball game, and as a reader, I could really feel the energy of the ball moving up the court and the adrenaline of the narrator as a part of the game. The story was engaging and I was surprised by the depth of emotion. I think kids might actually like this one too, but who knows.
    • 4/5
      Two twin brothers, the son of a great basketball player, play ball together but grow apart when one of the twins has a girlfriend. Things between the two brothers grow worse as their father shows signs of illness. All written in poetry. Newbery Award winner, and deservedly so.
    • 5/5
      I had to see if it lived up to all of the praise that I had heard and it certainly did. This is a book in verse that will sing to your reluctant readers and fly off the shelves into the hands of middle school boys.
    • 4/5
      I read this book for my MLIS "Resources for Children" class. It's a great read that makes you feel while at the same time entertaining you. Told from a 12yo boy's point of view, in poetic form, it was fun and sad and real. Recommended.
    • 4/5
      A book in verse that I read in an hour or two. Suffers from many of the awkward nuances that sports books do, but pairing it with verse makes it work a lot better. Josh is a twin and son of a former pro player. His father suffers from a heart disease which looms as a threat. Girls, basketball, his mom (also his school's AP), and his dad's disease combine to make this young mans life tumultuous.
    • 4/5
      I have to admit that I approached this book a little skeptically: a middle-grades novel, written in verse, about identical twins who love basketball? I feared it might be a little gimmicky--a clever way to get boys to read poetry, like sneaking zucchini into brownies. But Kwame Alexander deserves all the accolades and awards (including the Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King award) he's received for _The Crossover_. It's amusing and insightful and sad, and while the poems can be read separately, together, they tell a powerful story about a critical few months in the brothers' lives.What I really enjoyed about the book is the variety among the poems themselves. The topics range from basketball to sibling rivalry, and from family drama to "pink Reeboks-wearing girls." But the poems also vary in form: some are short, some are long, some are free-verse, and others are very traditional, such as Josh's "Tanka for Language Arts Class":This Christmas was notMerry, and I have not foundjoy in the new yearwith Dad in the hospitalfor nineteen days and counting.I especially like the poems where Alexander makes use of different fonts and unusual layouts to capture the movement and rhythm of a basketball game. Those would be especially fun to teach on their own. In short, a highly teachable book--and while it's much more than a good book for getting those reluctant middle-school boys to read, it certainly works that way, as well.
    • 5/5
      This book ripped my heart out. The ending was devastating. Wow.
      It's one of the most original children's fiction books I've read. Written in verse. Extremely readable. Very well done.
    • 4/5
      Exhilarating and heartfelt.
    • 5/5
      Free verse is a powerful tool in the hands of a gifted author. This Newberry award winner shows how it is done right. Twins, Josh and Jordan, live for their middle school basketball games. With their mother the assistant principal at the school and their father a professional basketball ball player they are expected to keep grades up and play hard. The crossover, moving ball from hand to hand to deceive the opponent, is tough, but dad is insistent they can do it. Continual worry about their dad proves right when he is hospitalized for heart trouble and dies. The characters are true to life and likeable middle schools crossing over to adulthood.
    • 5/5
      Wow. Need a way to turn a boy into a poetry lover—or anyone into a poetry lover? This middle grade novel in verse is about so much more than basketball. It's about family relationships, priorities, dealing with preteen/teen emotions . . . While I found one of the poems near the end to be a bit on the didactic side, it didn't take away from the story. And such a mix of poems! From the high energy of the basketball poems to the vocabulary poems (woven masterfully into the story) to the heartache poems, the story moved briskly along. In fact, I had to slow myself down so that I could reflect on some of the words (even though I was anxious to find out what was going to happen next). I highly recommend this from fifth grade right up to adults. Kwame Alexander, congratulations on this book and your well-deserved Newbery medal.