The Crossover
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Screen for YOUR familyParent's Guide to The Crossover
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is a Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winning middle grade novel presented in free verse, akin to rap lyrics. It follows 12-year-old twin brothers, Josh "Filthy McNasty" Bell and Jordan "JB" Bell, as they navigate their passion for basketball, evolving family dynamics, and the challenges of growing up. The narrative captures their triumphs on the court, their developing relationships, and a significant family health crisis, all while exploring themes of brotherhood, identity, loss, and the game of life. The book is celebrated for its engaging, fast-paced poetic style that appeals to both avid and reluctant readers, making pages fly by with its unique wordplay and visual presentation of poetry. It delves into the honest emotions of adolescence, including jealousy, sibling rivalry, first crushes, and the profound impact of grief. The story also touches on the importance of family and atonement for mistakes. "The Crossover" is widely used in middle school classrooms and is praised for its ability to convey a rich, multifaceted story with poignant language and relatable characters. While the content includes emotional intensity, mild violence, and themes of loss, it is generally considered appropriate for its target middle-grade audience, offering valuable discussion points for families and educators on sportsmanship, familial love, and coping with adversity.
Things to Consider
Scary & Intense Content
The story features highly intense and emotionally impactful content surrounding a parent's serious illness and eventual death. This central plot point can be heartbreaking and distressing for readers, requiring emotional maturity to process.
Josh and JB's father, Chuck Bell, suffers from hypertension and a heart condition. The narrative describes his declining health, a heart attack during a one-on-one game with Josh, and ultimately his death from a second heart attack, which is a major, emotional climax. The brothers experience significant grief and loss, and the book explores their struggles to cope with this traumatic event and its impact on the family.
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Additional Context
Best For Ages
The Crossover is best suited for readers aged 10-14 (grades 5-8). This recommendation is based on the book's themes of growing up, complex family dynamics, sibling rivalry, and the significant emotional impact of a parent's serious illness and death. While the verse novel format can be accessible to younger readers, the depth of emotional content, particularly concerning grief and mortality, requires a certain level of maturity to process.
Good to Know
The novel's verse format may initially seem unconventional but is praised for making the book highly engaging and accessible, particularly for reluctant readers. The book serves as an excellent tool for discussing complex themes such as family relationships, grief, communication, anger management, and the importance of health awareness. It encourages empathy and introspection in young readers.
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