Center for Teaching & Learning

Seventh grader Josh Bell plays basketball with his twin brother, Jordan, and they are exceptionally talented. Their mom is the assistant principal at their school and their dad was an Italian League basketball player. They are very close with their father who taught them how to play and comes to all of their games. But after Jordan meets a girl he likes, he stops paying as much attention to his brother, so Josh decides he has to get his focus back onto basketball and claiming the championship. However, there are a few unexpected hurdles on and off the court that could make winning difficult.

Alexander wrote Crossover as a free-verse novel, which is when the whole story is told through free-verse poems. This is very effective because it really slows readers down and focuses them on each individual poem, which makes readers catch more of the theme and plot and makes the story more enjoyable. This book is in the realistic sports fiction genre, and it was interesting to see that because it was mostly sports focused in the beginning of the book, but near the end it switches to almost all realistic fiction. The plot is not full of action, but there are no slow parts in the story.

Crossover is written in first person from the point of view of Josh, which allows Alexander to show how Josh feels about everything in the book involving the conflict between the twin brothers. I found this effective because it made me side with the protagonist, Josh. I thought that Alexander added strong diction during the basketball games that he put into the book, which made them suspenseful and fun to read about. 

I would recommend Booked by Kwame Alexander to readers who enjoyed this book because it is a different free-verse novel by the same author, and the plot is fast. I think that Alexander made the themes different, and that made them both enjoyable. Alexander also wrote Rebound, which I have not yet read.

I think this book had an enjoyable, fast-paced plot, the characters were relatable, and the writing was very easy to follow. I thought it was one of the best sports-related books I have ever read before, and I read many in this genre. I would rate this book a ten out of ten, and I would recommend this book to anyone because it is not just a sports book—it's intriguing and fun to read.                                                

Aidan

Houghton Publishing Company, 237 pages