The Crossover

June 29, 2017

Kwame Alexander has written a highly, engaging story that middle and high school students will want to read. This book was published in 2014 and won the John Newberry Medal in 2015 and the Loretta Scott King Award. Alexander lives in Herndon, Virginia, but travels around the word spreading his message on poetry and writing. He believes that poetry can change the world. He led a delegation of writers and activists in Ghana to help the teachers there, deliver books and build libraries. His writing program in the United States has helped create more than 300 student authors.

The Crossover is a narrative poem and contemporary realistic fiction that includes different types of poetry and elements throughout the book. The protagonist is twelve year old basketball superstar, Josh Bell, who is struggling with all of the emotions and challenges of being in middle school. At the beginning of the book Josh goes by the nickname Filthy McNasty that his dad gave him and is in separable from his twin brother Jordan. Soon Jordan gets a girlfriend and things change. Jordan chooses to spend more time with her and leaves Josh at lunch, the walk home and in the evenings. Also, he has always slightly beat out his brother in basketball, but now his brother is catching up. All of this causes Josh to feel isolated, angry and jealous.

He ends up making a bad decision one game and drills the basketball into his brothers nose. This leaves him suspended from the team and wedge put farther between him and his brother. As he learns to deal with his new emotions his dad is  having heart problems that continue to worsen. One day, Josh and his dad are on the court when he has a stroke and is taken to the hospital. Josh is left feeling angry that his dad let his health deteriorate to this point and blames himself for not having a better crossover move that would have prevented his dad from stealing the ball and trying to go for a dunk.

Josh is given permission to play in the championship with his team the night that his father has another heart attack. His team wins the championship and his father passes away. Josh has to learn how to navigate his new life and emotions. He patches up strained relationships with his friends and brother and learns that many people are there for him. At the end of the book he tries to break his dad’s record of consecutive free throws and realizes he feels closer to his dad while playing basketball.

Alexander wrote this story using only poetry. The vivid, descriptive language used helps the reader understand the story through Josh’s eyes. We hear what he hears, smell what he smells, sees what sees and feels what he feels. Not only is there the use of similes, metaphors and onomatopoeias, but he uses concrete poetry to help the read visualize what is happening. For example, the opening page is not written in the form of an object, but it is written how the author visualizes dribbling. A reader who does not know anything about basketball can now relate more to the feeling of dribbling after reading this poem.

The author chose vernacular that kids would easily relate to. These words are used amongst students in their everyday language, “OH, SNAP!” (pg. 38) is something kids say to one another. Also, the word choice connects with their lives and allows them to read the book for pleasure and not make it a chore. The words in the story do not rhyme, but there is a rhythm that the author uses. The opening poem starts with powerful, short, descriptive words that rhyme and sets the reader up to read it as a rap. All of this plays into the urban and pop culture.

This book could be used in upper elementary grades through 12th grade. Obviously, a teacher could teach poetry with this book. The concentration could be on figurative language or the different types of poems. In the higher grades, the teacher could focus more on the author’s word choice and how it affects the poem and makes it relatable to students. You could then create a writing lesson based off of his concrete poems or the ode to his hair. In my own classroom, I would create a lesson on character traits. Alexander created a character that goes through multiple emotional shifts and the students can see how other characters, setting, and problems change a character.

I would want to share this book to my students to show different relationships and how everyone struggles. You are not always going to get along with your best friend, family or significant other. You might even lash out as Josh does, but you need to learn how to mend the problems. This is a coming of age book, when a kid feels like they are stuck between two worlds and any middle schooler can relate to this.

I would caution not to use this book to a young audience. I think middle school or the right upper elementary class would be a good grade for this.

How are family relationships depicted?

Family relationships are strong in this book. The brothers have a falling out, but come together in the end. The mother and father love their kids very much and it is shown in the story. I liked how Alexander included “Miss Sweet Tea’s” family, too. It showed that a mother and father split and how she is living between the two houses.

Are minorities shown exclusively in poverty situations?

No minorities are not only shown in poverty. Actually, the characters are asked several times if they are rich from the days their dad played in the professional European basketball league.

What roles do women and girls have — based on their own intelligence or initiative or on good looks/relationships? how are problems presented, conceived, resolved?

Girls are noticed in this books for their beauty. All the boys notice the new girl at school and want to know if she “is a knockout or just beautiful, a hottie or a cutie…” (pg.54). Later in the book, Josh’s friend, Vaughn, gets a girlfriend and her looks are noted, “with skinny legs and a butt as big as Vermont..” (pg.162). The only girl that is shown to be smart is the main character’s mother, who is the assistant principal of the school and holds a doctorate degree. Miss Sweet Tea is athletic, but it isn’t mentioned except for a few pages, yet her looks are mentioned multiple times.