The Crossover: A Newbery Award Winner―A Slam-Dunk Sports Book for Boys and Girls Ages 8-12 (The Crossover Series)

When I first opened up The Crossover, I experienced an internal eye roll. Is this whole book about to be in poems? I am embarrassed to admit that I did not get excited at the prospect of reading an entire story in poetic form. Then I finished the whole book in one sitting. In a varying style of poetry, spoken word, and creative dialog, Alexander spends an entire novel playing with words and telling a story in a way I have never experienced. His creativity is on full display and the way he expresses dialog, plot, and characterization, are unique and highly engaging. I eagerly turned page after page to see not only what happened next in the story, but how Alexander displayed the next turning point. What makes this book unique is the way Alexander treats the blank page as a blank canvas. His creative layout combined with high-paced basketball and consistent character development make this a must read. The relationship between the two brothers is what particularly stuck with me. I’ve had many similar experiences with my brothers where small spats went too far and tiny jealousies became much bigger. He also adeptly dealt with the father-son relationship. Watching a young boy try to contemplate living up to his father’s expectations was heart-breakingly relatable. And then watching both brothers have to handle the loss of their role model—and in very different ways—added an entire level of depth to the story. Alexander uses both form and fun to tell a story in a unique way. His creative use of space and wording makes it easy for readers to flip the pages as fast as possible. And his concepts and characters draw the reader in deeper with every story development.

I admit that I initially got this book because of two factors: one is that the author is a Virginia resident and the second is that the Kindle price was incredibly cheap, something that was likely done because the book won a Newbery Award. It's not a particularly long novel, but it's short length works in its favor because this is an exceedingly powerful book. The entire work is told in verse and it's beautifully done, as Alexander takes full advantage of the format to craft visually lovely free verse that truly leaps off the page. It's a book that's very much meant to be viewed, although part of me is curious to listen to the audiobook so I can experience how the narrator interpreted various portions of the book. What ultimately works best here is that the characters are all believable and best of all, there are no "bad guys" here. Even though we're really only given the perspective of one of the two brothers, it will be very easy for readers of all ages to interpret how either brother is feeling at almost any given point of the book- an element that I'm sure is going to be the focus of many, many school lectures. I can easily see this book becoming a staple of multiple classrooms and for good reason. It's amazingly well crafted and even better- it's fiction that will appeal to any age and any gender. This book deals with a lot of difficult topics, from growing up to family issues to various different things that just about every child will deal with when they're young and I whole heartedly recommend that parents read this book as well and discuss it with their children and heck, maybe even make up a few verses for themselves.

WOW oh WOW. When a book hits a sweet spot, it zooms from one student to another. As soon as I read the opening lines of The Crossover, with its basketball cover and bouncing rap beat, I just knew I had to read it aloud to my 5th graders. But nothing prepared me for how it hooked them. To say they are loving it is an understatement. Fifth grade boys are just about wrestling each other to see who's going to get it next--jostling each other over a novel in verse! For Josh Bell, basketball and his family are everything to him. He pushes himself to excel, but he loves every minute he spends with the game--especially the way he plays it with his twin brother Jordan and his dad. Kwame Alexander captures Josh's voice and the power of basketball in a way that comes alive for my students. They love the rhythm and pulsing movement, the attitude and sass in Josh's words. The power of this novel comes not only from Alexander's language but also from the characters and their emotions. As Josh and Jordan (JB) near the championship playoffs for their school's division, friction develops between the brothers and trouble is brewing with their father. Josh starts to resent the fact that JB is spending too much time with his new girlfriend. I love the relationship Josh has with his dad. They tease each other, push each other, question each other in a way that feels so real. Alexander engages kids on so many different levels. I especially like the Basketball Rules that Josh's dad shares with his sons. How is basketball like life? That's something all sorts of kids can think about, in a way that takes layered meanings to a different level. Our whole class is having a blast reading this aloud. I am projecting my Kindle version on the screen so we can see the words dance on the page as I read it aloud. I want to try to create some audio recordings with kids reading it, because I know they'll bring so much to it. We already have four copies at school and the books are bouncing from one kid to another.

Kwame Alexander tells a bittersweet tale in The Crossover, one which is heartfelt and authentic. The narrator, Josh “Filthy McNasty” Bell, is a middle schooler with an incredible talent for basketball and a love of the written word. He has a loving rivalry with his twin brother JB, and is driven by both that competitive affection and the firm and tough love of his parents. As Filthy and JB compete with each other on and off the court, they must begin confronting new challenges; after all, in basketball and in life, there are victories and defeats, and there are unexpected complications, surprises, times of joy and celebration, and times of loss and sadness. This is a good shorter fictional text for middle school students to tackle, especially if they are apprehensive about reading, whether that reading is longer prose or shorter poetry. Alexander’s narrator tells the story in a kind of narrative verse, in what I’ve come to call “chapter-poems”. Some of these are more lyrical, while others are more along the lines of spoken-word / free verse pieces. The Crossover is a good coming-of-age story which should be accessible and “user-friendly” to a wide range of readers.

From the start, the Crossover by Kwame Alexander, shows off its spin moves and keeps readers entertained with creative language like, “Straight in the hole: Swoooooooooooosh”. Josh and J.B., 12-year-old twin brothers are at the center of the story and are learning to work together in basketball and life. At the beginning, the boys get really mad at each other whenever they have to do something together because they feel like they always have to be together since they are twins. One example is that Josh and J.B. don’t like passing to each other in basketball. Josh and J.B. feel like real people that kids can relate to. The boys act like real kids throughout the book. They do things like Play Madden, take tests, and get in trouble with their mom. In the middle of the book, Josh and J.B are shooting free throws. J.B. makes 41 in a row and Josh doesn’t make any. Their Dad says, “Josh, J.B is putting on a free throw clinic,” which makes Josh upset. This shows how competitive the boys are and how much they care about basketball. Both of these things, middle school readers are able to identify with. The fast-paced free verse and hip-hop poetry continues to wow readers throughout the book. The boys continue to grow and learn new things about themselves and their relationship to each other. In the end, the boys learn to work together to win their basketball game and appreciate each other. Readers can learn to follow Josh’s Basketball Rules of life as they enjoy the Crossover. The rules include Basketball Rule #1 which is, “In the game of life your family is the court and the ball is your heart. No matter how good you are, no matter how down you get, always leave your heart on the court.” The Crossover is a fantastic book that middle school kids will enjoy! A great read!

This was one of the best books that I have ever read. It is made in poem form. It’s an easy read and it’s made for a young male athlete. It is a great book.

In the crossover there are two twin baller brothers. There's Josh who goes by Filthy Mcnasty with the way he sauces everybody up. His brother is Jordan bell who goes by JB. The brothers dad is Chuck bill. He used to who back in the day but then had a career ending injury. Then they have Mrs. Bell, the wife and mother. The twins are thirteen years old and play on their high school basketball team. They are like the splash brothers from the Warriors. Josh has the field to cross over while JB has the wet shot. They always walk to school together in their friends are vandy and some other guys. The boys play up and they are stars of their team. Jordan Bell meets his first love, who they call Miss Sweet Tea. Jordan and Josh's dad has some medical issues, meanwhile the school championship is coming up... The book was amazing. It had smooth rhymes and beats, too. This book has a lot of slang, which a lot of readers like. The story is a page turner and keeps you intrested. If you or your child likes basketball or sports, this is a great book for you. Even the name of the book sounds good, I definitely recommend reading this. This book can be for girls or boys at all ages.

I showed this book to my gifted 4th graders and the boys who previously showed very little interest in reading immediately loved this book. They loved the dust jacket, then they took that off and loved the texture of the book cover (which is like the skin of a basketball). Thank you, Kwame Alexander, for these hooks before they even opened the book. Then they loved that it was poetry (fewer words per page..."I'm on page 32!"), and they loved the first page - maybe the best first page ever written for a boy reader. These kids were immediately sucked into the story. They loved the dynamics between the twin brothers, and the confidence of the narrator. They loved the father's pride in his son and that the father's language and taste was cheesy and dated. I can't thank the author enough for writing something that sounds so real, so relevant, so current, for boys who want to recognize themselves and their families on the page. It's not easy for an adult to write authentically for children using current language and icons that appeal to children. The boys in my group didn't know all of the basketball stars in the book - I needed to tell them who Magic Johnson was, for example - but they are a bit younger than the intended audience.

I furbetti scrivono edizione inglese, ma il libro è tradotto in italiano.

Mi hijo lo ha disfrutado muchísimo. La forma en la que está escrito, con ritmo y emoción, lo atrapó desde el principio. Le gustó tanto que lo terminó en pocos días, y eso no pasa muy a menudo. Ideal para chicos a los que les gusta el deporte o que están empezando a engancharse a la lectura.

Really wonderful book for preteens into sports. Its written in prose so not always easy for kids to understand but the explaining just leads to great conversations.

If someone had told me that I’d devour it in an evening and that a story about basketball would make me cry, I’d have doubted them. This is an excellent book and I’ll be recommending it to anyone who will listen.

Einfach ein wunderbares Buch, dass sich in einfacher Art und Weise mit komplexen Themen beschäftigt.