The Crossover

Alexander, K. (2014). The crossover. NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 

Josh Bell writes in verse about the current basketball season and his family.  Josh feels deserted when his twin brother, Jordan (JB), who he's always with, gets a girlfriend and leaves him behind to eat lunch and shoot hoops alone.  Josh also writes about his dad's health and mom's concerns about his dad's health.  At one point, Josh gets so frustrated with his brother, he ends up throwing the ball at his face during a basketball game, which leads his mom (the school AP) to suspend him from the team until he can get himself together, and leads JB to quit talking to him all together.  In the "fourth quarter" Josh's dad dies from a heart attack, which leads JB to eventually come around to talk to Josh.

Such a fun way to write, which turns into a fun way to read!  This will SURELY catch the eye of all poetry naysayers (my old self included!)!  Such great word usage and loved the mini-vocabulary lessons sprinkled throughout the book.  The poems creatively vary in their format, which keeps the reader's attention and adds to the entertainment.  Since kids seem to be attracted to narrative poetry for its storytelling, I can see this book definitely being a hit.  Librarians and teachers could use this to introduce students to poetry or in poetry lessons.  This book has all the elements one would look for in poetry- familiar subjects, imagery, rhyme, rhythm, and sound.  The Crossover  is a Newbery Medal recipient for distinguished contribution to American Literature for children and is also among YALSA's Best Fiction for Young Adult's list.  Readers who enjoyed this book will most likely also enjoy Alexander's The Playbook, and Booked.