The Crossover

My initial thoughts were blah blah free verse sports blah—how boring. But actually, it was wonderful. It took a while to get going (for me), but soon I was routing for these boys and their family and feeling their pain. With his verse, Alexander captures the excitement, attitude and rhythm of the sports, portrays the humor and playfulness of home life, and he breaks our hearts with deeply felt emotions. I loved the basketball rules which translate (of course) to very valuable life wisdom. I would love to see how kids respond to this (esp. boys).

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.

Josh Bell, a.k.a. Filthy McNasty, and his twin brother Jordan (JB), are junior high basketball phenoms; their father, Chuck "Da Man" Bell, played in a European league and put basketballs in their hands as soon as they could hold them. The boys have different strengths but play together well - usually. But JB wins a bet and gets to cut off one of Josh's locs, but then cuts off five, and Josh has to shave off the rest. Then JB gets a girlfriend, new girl Alexis, "Miss Sweet Tea," and has less time for Josh. And their dad is having health problems but refuses to go to the doctor, and the brothers discover that his career ended because he refused to get surgery. Ironically, it's his fear of doctors and hospitals that makes things worse, show more culminating in tragedy right as the twins' team is headed into their most important game.

This novel in free verse flows like a basketball game itself, full of rhythm and rhyme, loud and quiet, fast and slow. Josh narrates game action with hip-hop style: words appear in bold, caps, italics, and other creative typography. Thirteen is a difficult age - even if you're already six feet tall and can dunk - and Josh navigates sudden changes the best he can. Some poems are basketball rules, others are definitions (e.g. hypertension).

See also: Track series by Jason Reynolds, Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson, Dragon Hoops by Gene Luen Yang

Quotes

"Silence doesn't mean
we have run out of things to say,
only that we are trying
not to say them." show less

A fantastic middle grade novel in free verse about twin brothers and their changing lives both on and off the basketball court. It's beautifully done, with varying methods of verse that reflect the situations and emotions as they change throughout, and with a story that grabs you right from the beginning and holds you to the end.

A reread for me - Charlie read it for a school project and I decided to join him. (He loved it, too!)

Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan are basketball phenoms at their middle school - and why wouldn't they be, considering their father was a pro player in a European league? Their team is undefeated and in narrative poems, Josh tells the story of one season of basketball and life.

You don't particularly have to be a fan of poetry or basketball to enjoy this year's Newbery Award winner - at least, I'm not either. The various styles of poetry are really well done, with some of them reading like you might hear at a poetry slam and mimicking the rhythm of dribbling a ball. I liked how basketball descriptions and definitions were incorporated into the text, and the family dynamics ring true. The style of writing also makes it very fast show more reading for those students coming in looking to read a Newbery award winner; recommended for fans of realistic and sports fiction. show less

Ok, I read it. It's a bit tricky at first, especially telling the twins apart. But though I am American, I know almost nothing about basketball culture... and that didn't slow me down. It really is a story about young teen boys, and family, and the key terms (from basketball and from Josh's favorite vocabulary cards) are defined.

I love the development. For example: At first Josh is all about his nickname, Filthy McNasty, and about his hair, but he is growing up and realizing that there are more important things to focus on than hair, and that actually he prefers his real name.

I love the concrete poems with the alliteration and other tricks, the ones about the game itself. I love that the poems are distinct, that it's not just one epic show more or even one style page after page.

I'm a little disturbed by the character of Alexis, though. What business is it of hers whether the Bells are rich?

My main concern, though, is with how wrong I can be:

If not for Phil's comment above that his students are still reading this, I would have thought sure it would be rejected as preachy and as old people trying to be 'hip' (except nobody says 'hip' anymore). And even if kids accepted the book at the time it was contemporary (2014-15) I would have imagined it would get dated already. But I'm guessing that the human story, the universal truths and themes, are compelling enough to keep the book popular among the target audience.

I do recommend it, both to broaden one's horizons and because it is, in fact, a satisfying read (at least for this parent). But I don't plan to read more by the author.

(Read for Children's Books group, Newbery Club.) show less

Written in a style that is part free verse and part rap lyrics, this book is sure to win over any reader interested in basketball, rap, family dynamics, and/or growing up. Joshua Bell, the protagonist, is a twin. He and his brother are excellent basketball players thanks to their dad teaching them skills at a young age. They're so good that they're leading their team to the championships--that is, if jealousy, family health issues, and internal conflicts don't get in the way.

Kwame Alexander's use of rap lyrics and the type set in which they're portrayed is phenomenal. The reader can feel the rap while reading along.