THE CROSSOVER by Kwame Alexander

Alexander, Kwame. 2014. The Crossover. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 9780544107717

Even if you don’t like basketball, you will like this “Running Gunning shooting star” of a book called  The Crossover.  Just be ready because the story is “Flying F A S T” and you won’t get a time out unless you just close the book (which I didn’t till I ran out of words).  I always marvel at verse novels, and Crossover is no exception.  I’m glad to introduce you to Kwame Alexander’s talent if you are not already aware.

Topping the 2014 TLA Lone Star List, The Crossover targets the middle school athletic male reluctant reader with a page-turning story in poetry!  How is that even possible?  Indeed, Kwane Alexander is exceptional.  In 237 pages he tells a story of twin brothers, both basketball stars whose dad formerly played professionally in Italy, and whose mom is the assistant principal in their school.  Alexander lays out the story in six sections using basketball terms: Warm-up, First Quarter, Second Quarter, Third Quarter, Fourth Quarter, and Overtime.  In between, the story unfolds with a new poem on nearly every page.  There is no table of contents, but each poem/chapter is clearly titled.  Basketball rules are dribbled through the story and provide profound nuggets of wisdom that apply to basketball, but more importantly to life.  For example, 

Rule #4

If you miss

enough of life’s

free throws

you will pay

in the end.

Alexander puts us on the court and in the game with his expansive words and his use of capitals, font sizes, and italics.  He bounces the ball with his rhythm and figuratively brings us to our feet with his “Alley-OOP” and “KABOOM.” Additionally we feel family love, pride, fear, anxiety, anger, and heartbreak. 

Family dynamics between Mom, Dad, Josh and Jordan is dramatically evident when Jordan (JB) is violently fouled in a game.  Alexander uses storm metaphors to describe the scene and repeats “I watch” to relate Josh’s helplessness as he watches the scene unfold.

Storm

     by Kwame Alexander

Like a strong wind, Dad

Rises from the clouds, strikes

down the stairs, swift and

sharp and mad as

lightning.  Flagrant foul, ref!

he yells to everyone in the

gym.  Now he’s hail and blizzard.

His face, cold and hard as ice.

His hands pulsing through

the air.  His mouth, loud as thunder.

He tackled JB—

this ain’t football,

Dad roars in the face

of the ref, while JB

and his attacker do

the eye dance. I want to

join in, offer my squall,

but Mom shoots me a look

that says, Stay out of the rain,

son. So, I just watch

as she and Coach chase

Dad’s tornado.  I watch

As she wraps her arms

Around Dad’s waist. I watch

As she slowly bring him back

to wind and cloud.  I watch

Mom take a tissue from

Her purse to wipe her tears,

And the sudden onset of

blood from Dad’s nose.

I can see this poem inspiring young poets to try their hand at metaphor to describe an exciting, happy, sad, or frightening event in their lives.  Creating a game atmosphere would be easy to do as well by dividing the class into 4 groups like quarters in a game and each group would present energetic pieces within a time limit on the “game clock.”

The only thing that would make this book any better is if I could hear the author read it.  I heard a very brief except read by him on a website and it was magic.  I hope to find this available soon in audio.