REALISTIC FICTION - The Crossover

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Alexander, Kwame. 2014. The Crossover. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. ISBN 9780544107717

PLOT SUMMARY

This young adult book is told as a novel in verse through wonderful poetry. The storyline follows the experiences of twelve-year-old basketball star Josh through his seventh-grade year at Reggie Lewis Middle School.  Josh is the identical twin brother of Jordan, who also is a basketball star. Their father is a well-known famous basketball player and they are setting up to follow in his footsteps. Life begins to change for Josh as his brother gets a girlfriend and begins leaving him out of the things they used to do together. Josh becomes jealous of his brother and ends up doing something that gets him to be put on suspension from playing the game that he loves. In a turn of events, their father undergoes unexpected health issues and takes the story deeper into how families deal with love and the loss of a loved one. In the end, both boys come back together to reconnect their lost time and build a stronger relationship to continue to honor their dad.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This story is an amazing tale of family, love, dedication, and the loss of loved ones. The author does a great job driving the reader into the plot and wondering what will happen next. Alexander does a wonderful job at keeping the book realistic fiction and having the reader feel as though this story could really be taking place. The characters are extremely relatable in the emotions that they go through throughout the storyline. 

The author keeps the entire book in a very lyrical type style with his use of poetry. He pulls in figurative language in the aspect of onomatopoeias such as “Popping.” His use of rhythmic rhyme keeps the story flowing well, such as “Popping and Rocking - Why you Bumping? Why you Locking?”

While multiple themes can be pulled from this piece of literature, the one that sticks out the most is knowing that family will always be there for you. Josh and his brother Jordan do a lot of growing up in the one year told in the book; however, in the end, they always had each other's backs no matter what. 

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist: “An accomplished author and poet, Alexander eloquently mashes up concrete poetry, hip-hop, a love of jazz, and a thriving family bond. The effect is poetry in motion. It is a rare verse novel that is fundamentally poetic rather than using this writing trend as a device. There is also a quirky vocabulary element that adds a fun intellectual note to the narrative. This may be just the right book for those hard-to-match youth who live for sports or music or both.”

 

Horn Book Guide: “Josh's narration is a combination of exciting play-by-play game details, insightful observations on middle school, and poignant meditations on sibling dynamics and familial love. This verse novel has massive appeal for reluctant readers.”

 

Horn Book Magazine: “Since poet Alexander has the swagger and cool confidence of a star player and the finesse of a perfectly in-control ball-handler, wordplay and alliteration roll out like hip-hop lyrics, and the use of concrete forms and playful font changes keep things dynamic: "SWOOP in / to the finish with a fierce finger roll… / Straight in the hole: / Swoooooooooooosh." Alexander brings the novel-in-verse format to a fresh audience with this massively appealing package for reluctant readers, athletes especially.”

 

Kirkus: “This novel in verse is rich in character and relationships. Most interesting is the family dynamic that informs so much of the narrative, which always reveals, never tells. While Josh relates the story, readers get a full picture of major and minor players. The basketball action provides energy and rhythm for a moving story. Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch.”

 

Library Media Connection: “Alexander proves his versatility in his first novel in verse for middle grade audiences. Alexander uses the structure of a basketball game to divide the story into segments. The book is filled with hard questions, frank honesty, and profound exchanges that reveal the complexity and depth of characterization created by Alexander in his seemingly simple free verse poems.”

 

Publishers Weekly: “The poems dodge and weave with the speed of a point guard driving for the basket, mixing basketball action with vocabulary-themed poems, newspaper clippings, and Josh's sincere first-person accounts that swing from moments of swagger-worthy triumph to profound pain. This verse novel delivers a real emotional punch before the final buzzer.”

 

School Library Journal: “Alexander has crafted a story that vibrates with energy and heart and begs to be read aloud. A slam dunk.”

CONNECTIONS

• A good diverse book to share with students in the classroom, highlighting a well-off African American family which includes vocabulary from the African American community.

• Other realistic fiction books about basketball:

• Coulson, A. UNSTOPPABLE. ISBN: 9781788450492

• Goldberg-Fishman, C. WHEN JACKIE AND HANK MET. ISBN: 9780761461401

• Jamieson, V. ROLLER GIRL. ISBN: 9780803740167
  
  

• Other books are written by Kwame Alexander:

• Alexander, K. REBOUND. ISBN: 9781432861988

• Alexander, K. HE SAID SHE SAID. ISBN: 9780062118981