Alexander, K. (2014). The Crossover. Boston: Houghton Harcourt. Josh Bell and his twin brother, JB are amazing basketball players, their Dad, Chuck was a professional player when he was young. Their Mom is a non nonsense type of person and the Assistant Principal at the school they attend. All Josh can think about is basketball, he works hard on his team. Josh's Dad has nicknamed him - Filthy McNasty because he is so talented, Josh can even dunk at 12 years old. JB starts to get distracted from basketball when a new girl comes to school. She is cute but Josh is a little jealous of how much time he spends with her. Dad's health makes his Mom nervous, she wants him to go to the doctor due to his bad eating habits and that his Dad died at a young age. Dad refuses to go, he just doesn't like doctors. He continues to coach the boys even from the stands usually Mom has to make him sit down and not yell at the games. Sometimes Dad even starts to sweat and has to take a break, this is happening more frequently. Josh continues to excel in basketball and his schoolwork but has to sit out games due to the pass he threw at his brother's face in anger. Josh, JB and their friend are in a 3 on 3 tournament. Dad plays with Josh pre-game, suddenly Dad passes out, he is rushed to the hospital. The Crossover is written in verse rather than typical novel form. The format and text of the book is compelling and visually interesting to read as the typeface changes to caps and sometimes stagger across the page. It is written with the language of a cocky basketball loving kid, the reader is invested in the main character and a little worried about his Dad. It won the 2015 Newbery Award and is a 2015 Coretta Scott King honor winner. Kwame Alexander is an author, poet and educator, he has created a paper to stage workshop that encourages young writers and shares how to self-publish. He has written several other books, most recently, The Playbook.
The book and the quality in which it is written is one that helps provides a foundation for a lifelong readers. Also, reading for the beauty of the language and presentation of The Crossover is applicable. It can also help students bridge different genres and formats, Alexander is excellent as he shares Josh's story and love of basketball in prose form. The Crossover for my students and I has every marker listed in the textbook of why and how we develop readers.
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