The Crossover: Kwame Alexander

The Crossover
Kwame Alexander
HMH Books for Young Readers


I told my rowdiest bunch of fifth graders that I was going to share some selected poems. 

Their heads lolled forward, eyes rolled, and I distinctly saw a few lips curl into sneers

Then I read the first page of Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover. Recited it really. I memorized it just to watch their expressions. 

They begged for more.

Crossover combines my least favorite format (novels in verse) and my least favorite genre (sports stories). But between the stylistic variety, vibrant language, rhythm that leaps off the page, and its utterly compelling plot; the whole of Kwame Alexander’s work far surpasses the sum of its parts which, be assured, are all individually distinguished.  

The Crossover has a lot going for it. At it’s core, Crossover tells a page-turning story of adolescent twins Jordan and Josh. When Jordan begins to drift towards his new girlfriend, Josh struggles to adjust. In the sports novel genre, there’s no shortage of stories that use the game as a backdrop to for messages, feelings, and relationships. While many are perfectly fine examples realistic fiction, until Crossover, I wouldn’t force any of them on anyone. Kids who like to read about sports will find all their favorite elements in this novel as well. There’s relationships with teammates, lesson about life through the lens of the game, and of course, the question will they pull it off? But it’s the language that sets Crossover apart. Encapsulating the athleticism, precision, finesse and swagger of the sport, the book is a celebration of basketball’s cultural relevance. 

The most beautiful thing about sports is that neither the athletes or the spectators know the ending before it plays out. Every season brims with subplots, twists, celebrations, heartache. Through storytelling, language, and a whole lot of style, Kwame Alexander conveys all the excitement of a championship run.

Some one asked the other day what the next Wonder would be. I sure hope this one takes off in the same manner. Not to take anything away for the strength of Kwame Alexander's verse, but the format's compact nature makes it an easy sell to reluctant readers.

Hear Kwame read at his book release event:

Watch Kwame speak with ESPN

And if you're a librarian don't miss this pitch