Alexander, Kwame. 2014. The Crossover. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0544107717
OVERVIEW AND CRITICAL ANALYSIS
The Crossover tells the family story of 12 year-old twin brothers Josh and JB. Josh narrates the story with basketball at the centerpiece, but it is the sibling rivalry, brotherly love and parental connection that make this verse novel hard to put down. The twins' father, a former professional basketball player, is their role model and hero. Their mother, an assistant principal, is a guiding light and holds high standards for her sons. The reader will feel Josh’s range of emotions including: joy and exhilaration when he is winning a basketball game, sense his confusion and unrest when his twin gets a girlfriend, feel his fear and pain when his father is ill, experience his disappointment and despair when he is suspended from a game, and experience utter grief and loss when his father “crosses over." More than a basketball story, this title is authentic and fresh, exploring a wide range of emotions and experiences that will resonate with teen readers.
The Crossover tells the family story of 12 year-old twin brothers Josh and JB. Josh narrates the story with basketball at the centerpiece, but it is the sibling rivalry, brotherly love and parental connection that make this verse novel hard to put down. The twins' father, a former professional basketball player, is their role model and hero. Their mother, an assistant principal, is a guiding light and holds high standards for her sons. The reader will feel Josh’s range of emotions including: joy and exhilaration when he is winning a basketball game, sense his confusion and unrest when his twin gets a girlfriend, feel his fear and pain when his father is ill, experience his disappointment and despair when he is suspended from a game, and experience utter grief and loss when his father “crosses over." More than a basketball story, this title is authentic and fresh, exploring a wide range of emotions and experiences that will resonate with teen readers.
Alexander uses a variety of poetic forms to create a strong
rhythm. At times it is fast paced and
abrupt and at other times the pace shifts, feeling slower and almost gentle. He captures the shifting moods and tone of
Josh’s life with the rhythm of his words. The variety works to create
energy and momentum. In “The Show” the
reader can feel the beat.
A quick shoulder SHAKE,
A slick eye
FAKE-
Number 28
is way past late.
He’s
reading me like
A BOOK
But I turn the page
and watch
him look
which can
only mean I got him
SHOOK …
Alexander alternates long poems with short ones, free verse with
strong rhyme and includes sportscaster play-by-play announcements to make game times
feel real. Dictionary-like definitions fit seamlessly into
the free verse, providing meaning and connections. The collection is divided into four sections,
titled for each quarter of a game. Each quarter advances the simultaneous plot lines forward. One plot line deals with Josh and basketball,
Josh and his brother, Josh and getting into trouble while a parallel plot line surrounds dad's health issues runs throughout the story.
There is a strong visual impact throughout the novel created with the carefully arranged text. There are
narrow poems sliding down a page in a long cascade, while basketball
rules are short and wide and comprised of just a few lines. Longer verses ramble on, filling two or more
pages. Bold words and visual space serve as prompts to the reader, guiding the
oral interpretation and adding impact to single words or entire lines. Alternating letter sizes within a word almost
seem to bring the words to life as seen in “Fast Break.”
“… BOUNCE BOUNCE
ball beside him
NOW he’s
GETTing
FLYER AND FLYER …”
Figurative language brings many scenes to life, providing
rich descriptions. Josh’s dreadlocks are
his pride and joy and seem to be almost magical. They are described as wings.
“At the End of Warm-Ups, My
Brother Tries to Dunk
my
hair like wings, each lock lifting me higher and higher
like a 747 ZOOM, ZOOM!”
Dad’s
anger is described in “Storm.”
“Like a strong wind, Dad
rises from the clouds, strikes
… His mouth, loud as thunder …
“
Rich in sensory experiences and emotional impact The Crossover is a satisfying read. It explores sibling
dynamics, attraction to girls and deep love and admiration for a
parent. A central theme of family
connection holds the diverse poetic forms together, resulting in a high quality
novel.
SPOTLIGHT ON A POEM:
One poem that highlights
Josh’s deep emotion and isolation describes a ride from the hospital after Josh
has injured his brother in a basketball game. Alexander describes the mood in the following
way in the poem titled “After.”
On the short ride home
from the hospital
There is no jazz music
or hoop talk,
only brutal silence,
The unspoken words
volcanic and weighty.
Dad and Mom,
solemn and wounded.
JB, bandaged and hurt,
leans against his back-seat
window
and with less than two feet
between us
I feel miles away
from all of them.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Read this poem aloud two or three times. Provide a copy of the poem to each student and allow them to read silently and then aloud. Use this poem as a springboard to facilitate talk about times that students may have felt offended, isolated or experienced other intense emotions in their lives. Help students unpack the message that Alexander is trying to convey with his precise word choice and the form of the poem on the page. Give students an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences and create lists of descriptive phrases to reflect their own feelings. Allow students to share preliminary word lists in small groups or with partners. Encourage students to revise or add to their list after sharing with a partner. Students will then begin crafting their own poem, making it a personal reflection of a time in their life experience. After students have had time to complete their poems (this may take two or more days) then they will be encouraged to share their writing with the class.
IN THE CLASSROOM
Read this poem aloud two or three times. Provide a copy of the poem to each student and allow them to read silently and then aloud. Use this poem as a springboard to facilitate talk about times that students may have felt offended, isolated or experienced other intense emotions in their lives. Help students unpack the message that Alexander is trying to convey with his precise word choice and the form of the poem on the page. Give students an opportunity to reflect on their own experiences and create lists of descriptive phrases to reflect their own feelings. Allow students to share preliminary word lists in small groups or with partners. Encourage students to revise or add to their list after sharing with a partner. Students will then begin crafting their own poem, making it a personal reflection of a time in their life experience. After students have had time to complete their poems (this may take two or more days) then they will be encouraged to share their writing with the class.
EXTENSIONS
This verse novel would be an excellent addition to a junior high (or high school) classroom poetry
collection. The strong rhythm and beat
would appeal to male and female readers alike.
Selected poems could be used for oral presentations; they could be
memorized and performed for parents or other classmates. Students could be challenged to choose a
favorite poem from the book and write about their own experience in the style of their selected poem..
Students
would enjoy learning more about Kwame Alexander. Additional information could be found at Alexander's blog at http://www.abookdaday.org. He could be featured in a “poet spotlight” and
several of his books could be read aloud to the class. Some
campuses might want to get involved in his “book in a day” project. He has a school program that includes campus visits for the purpose of helping students write
their own stories. He is also available
for Skype visits. Arranging either a face-to-face or Skype visit would be a powerful experience for students.
