Broken ankles. A slang term often used in basketball to describe when an athletic move is made to get around a defender and the move causes the defender to lose their balance or to be stupefied. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander has left me in awe and amazement! I was not ready for the boldness and intensity of this novel, written in poetic prose. The story is about a boy named Josh Bell who has a twin brother. They are very close, and are seemingly each other’s best friend. They both love playing basketball- naturally, since their father is a famous basketball player that has taught them everything he knows- and they both play for their school’s team. Josh thought he had life figured out, until one day his brother falls in love with “the new girl” at school. This switch up leaves Josh grappling with feelings of loneliness, and jealousy. He is displaced, and his world is spinning. Can he keep his balance both on and off the court? I truly enjoyed the “Basketball Rules”- those lessons that their father taught them that will help them in life and on the court- because it left me longing to provide that mentorship that I did not have as a child. This book forced me to reflect on the importance of having a father or male role model in a young boy’s life. I recommend this book for children 4th grade and older, because some of the events and figurative language may be too deep for some younger audiences.
If I were to use this book instructionally, it is so rich that I would have so many options.
- A Read Aloud novel Study: I could use this book as a novel study as a part of a unit about community, teamwork, or family. I might use it to teach some of the Notice and Note signposts (Beers & Probst, 2013), since it has a wealth of signposts. For example, there are Words of the Wiser (The Basketball Rules I mentioned earlier), Aha moments, and Contrasts and contradictions.
- Book Clubs: The readability and interest level of the book will keep students wanting to read more! There will be many opportunities for discussion.
- Guided Reading: Above grade level readers in 5th grade could be guided through this book instructionally.
Next up- Feed by M.T. Anderson! Happy Reading :-)