The Crossover
Kwame Alexander (2014)
“A novel written in slam-poetry verse about twin brothers, basketball, and the shot clock running out on childhood.”
At a Glance
Twelve-year-old Josh Bell (nicknamed Filthy McNasty) and his twin brother Jordan (JB) are basketball stars riding the highs of middle school. Their father, Chuck 'Da Man' Bell, a former professional player, coaches them from the driveway while their mother Crystal keeps the family grounded. When JB starts dating Miss Sweet Tea and drifting away from Josh, the brothers' bond fractures on and off the court. Meanwhile, Chuck refuses to see a doctor despite alarming symptoms. The family's world shatters when Chuck suffers a massive stroke and dies, forcing Josh to confront what it means to lose someone who seemed invincible.
Read full summary →Why This Book Matters
Won the 2015 Newbery Medal — one of the few verse novels and one of the few sports-centered novels to receive the award. Demonstrated that poetry could be commercially successful in the middle-grade market and that reluctant readers would engage with literary experimentation if the form served the story. Sold over 2 million copies and spawned sequels (Booked, Rebound) and a graphic novel adaptation.
Diction Profile
Informal and contemporary — rooted in African American vernacular, hip-hop cadence, and spoken word poetry, elevated by concrete poetry techniques and formal experimentation
High