“JB and I
are almost thirteen. Twins. Two basketball goals at
opposite ends of the court. Identical.
It’s easy to tell us apart though. I’m
an inch taller, with dreads to my neck. He gets
his head shaved once a month. I want to go to Duke,
he flaunts Carolina Blue. If we didn’t love each other,
we’d HATE each other. He’s a shooting guard.
I play forward. JB’s the second
most phenomenal baller on our team.
He has the better jumper, but I’m the better
slasher. And much faster. We both
pass well. Especially to each other.”
Josh pg. 23, The Crossover
Josh and Jordan (JB) are the best basketball players at Reggie Lewis Junior High, and even outside of school it’s apparent they are both pretty talented. It helps that their dad is a retired professional basketball player who’s taught them a thing or two. But as much as Josh loves basketball, he’s also got a talent with words; maybe he got that from their mom, who’s the assistant principal at their middle school. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander, winner of the 2015 Newbery Medal for “the most outstanding contribution to children's literature”, is a verse novel, written from Josh’s perspective, in his flowing rhymes and hip-hop style.
Everything is cruising along smoothly for the brothers, their grades are good and the basketball team looks poised to make a run at the championship … unfortunately this is middle school and changes are unavoidable, especially changes in the form of a girl with pink Reeboks. From here things seem to go downhill for Josh and uphill for Jordan, as Jordan starts spending more and more time with the girl in the pink Reeboks and Josh starts getting more and more frustrated with the way Jordan is acting. However, there are bigger changes coming for the boys, bigger than basketball, bigger than girls, and they’ll need to overcome their new found difference and stand together as family.
Can the boys withstand the changes life is throwing at them? Read The Crossover, and I think you’ll agree, pardon the pun, it’s a real slam dunk!, full of rhythm, heart and basketball. If you like basketball stories check out Travel Team and Summer Ball by Mike Lupica, Stanford Wong Flunks Big Time by Lisa Yee, or stop by the library to find more fiction and non-fiction books about basketball.