The Crossover
Binding: Paperback
Imprint: Andersen Press
Age 12+
Sporting Stories Poetry Personal & Social Issues: Siblings School Stories Family & Home Stories
‘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.
Creators
Kwame Alexander is a poet, children's book author, playwright, producer, public speaker, performer, and winner of the Newbery Medal for his novel-in-verse, The Crossover. He conducts creative writing workshops in middle and high schools, often reaching more than five hundred students monthly. He lives with his wife and two daughters in the Washington, D.C., area. Visit his website at www.kwamealexander.com.
Reviews
This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships . . . Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch
Kirkus, starred review
Alexander has crafted a story that vibrates with energy and heat and begs to be read aloud. A slam dunk.
School Library Journal, starred review
The poems dodge and weave with the speed of a point guard driving for the basket . . . swings from moments of swagger-worthy triumph to profound pain.
Publishers Weekly, starred review
Full of heartbreak and exhilaration
Metro, The Best Books for Young Minds
Mesmerising… a beautifully constructed and powerfully emotional novel.
Irish Times
Alexander fully captures Josh’s athletic finesse and coming-of-age angst in a mix of free verse and hip-hop poetry that will have broad appeal . . . This will inspire budding players and poets alike.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
The hip-hop beat of the writing draws the reader in… Highly recommended – and not just for the sporty.
Books for Keeps
Energetic and emotionally charged
The Bookseller, Bookseller's Choice
Absorbing and rewarding, The Crossover’s language is so precise and beautiful, so strong and powerful, so exact and tender, it is beyond question that it will inspire many other stories.
Armadillo Magazine
Brilliantly funny and heart-breaking at the same time
The School Librarian
A crackling narrative… I devoured it
MinervaReads
A fast-paced, rhythmic verse novel that packs an emotional punch
So Many Books, So Little Time
I loved this book. It is fresh and new and offers something genuinely different
Bookbag
An achingly intense and dynamic text… Linguistic dynamite
Did You Ever Stop To Think (LH Johnson)
