The Crossover


The Crossover is a 2015 children's book by American author Kwame Alexander and the winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award Honor. The book, which is told entirely through verse, was first published in the United States in hardback on March 18, 2014 through HMH Books for Young Readers. The story follows two African-American twin brothers that share a love for basketball but find themselves drifting apart as they head into their junior high school year. They also run into many obstacles that they must overcome, like a girl who starts conflict between them, Alexis.

Reception

Critical reception for The Crossover has been positive. According to Kirkus Reviews, "Poet Alexander deftly reveals the power of the format to pack an emotional punch." In Booklist, Gail Bush called The Crossover "a rare verse novel that is fundamentally poetic rather than using this writing trend as a device." Writing for the Washington Post, Mary Quattlebaum said Alexander was "at the top of his poetic game in this taut, complex tale of the crossover from brash, vulnerable boy to young adult." Poet Cornelius Eady wrote in The New York Times, "The biggest surprise of 'The Crossover' is that, for all the bells and whistles of a young man's game, it is most boldly and certainly a book about tenderness." According to Katrina Hedeen in The Horn Book Magazine, "Alexander brings the novel-in-verse format to a fresh audience with this massively appealing package for reluctant readers, athletes especially." Writing for School Library Journal, Kiera Parrott said, "Alexander has crafted a story that vibrates with energy and heart and begs to be read aloud. A slam dunk."