Newbery Winner - The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Module 4: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander

Summary: Twin brothers Josh Bell (a.k.a. Filthy McNasty) and Jordan Bell (a.k.a. JB) are 13-year-old basketball stars at the middle school where their mother, Dr. Bell, is the vice-principal.  Even though they are twins, they are different in character.  Filthy McNasty lives for basketball, attending three summer camps, and perfecting his crossover, a difficult basketball move that trips up opponents.  JB is far more sensitive and has other interests, including girls.  When JB gets a girlfriend, Filthy’s jealousy and anger are taken out on JB during a game; getting him removed from the team.  The tension between the two boys remains until the one fatal day when their father suffers from a heart attack.  The boys realize their need for each other and move towards reconciliation.

My Perspective: The Crossover by Kwame Alexander was awarded the Newbery and named a Coretta Scott King Honor Book.  The story is told in first person by Josh Bell using free verse poetry. The words are paced to describe the action in the book as well as demonstrate it.  For example, the word SLIPPING moves diagonally down page three to show just what you’ll do when Filthy McNasty comes your way.  The ‘tough’ talk between boys and the dialogue between parents draws us into the world of the two teenage brothers. It draws us into their conflict and resolution of differences between them.  In a review by Paul, L., Pendlebury, K., & Svonkin, C. (2015), they were not impressed by Alexander’s free verse that attempted to capture the rhythms of jazz, spoken word, and hip-hop poetry.  Instead, the reviewers were left laughing at the “cute poems like "Filthy McNasty"-"a MYTHical MANchild / Of rather dubious distinction.”  Nonetheless, this coming of age story deals with relatable teenage issues, and is told in a heart-felt way.

Library Application: This would be a great book to use in a “Poetry Slam.”  Students can present original poetry, but also use it as a platform to present contemporary youth poetry. 
This book would be good to teach students about the concept of VOICE and finding their own voice to tell their story..

References:
   
Alexander, A. (2014). The Crossover. New York:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  

Paul, L., Pendlebury, K., & Svonkin, C. (2015). A new parliament of fouls: The 2015 lion and the unicorn award for excellence in north American poetry. The Lion and the Unicorn, 39(3), 331-351. Retrieved from https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/login?url=https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2165/docview/1784798185?accountid=7113

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Realistic Fiction - Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff

Image
Module 7: Umbrella Summer by Lisa Graff Summary:   In Umbrella Summer , (Graff, L., 2009) Annie Richards is a 10-year-old who is determined to protect herself from pain.  She has become paranoid of contracting every possible disease because her 12-year-old brother, Jared, died earlier that year from an undiagnosed heart condition.  She is depressed and living under a cloud of sadness. Annie’s extreme worrying is her way of coping with her brother’s death.  It keeps her mind from thinking about him.  Things seem to be going downhill until she befriends the new neighbor, Mrs.Finch.  Mrs. Finch tells her, it’s time to stop hiding under her umbrella, take it down, and enjoy the sunshine.  Annie in turn helps Mrs. Finch, and both her parents to take down their umbrellas as well. My Perspective: This story is about Annie who is struggling with depression after the sudden loss of her brother five months earlier. She is not dealing well with her sa...
Read more

Newbery Winner - The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

Image
Module 4:  The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin Summary: This book is a murder mystery, but not a scary one. Mr. Westing, the paper mills giant dies leaving 16 heirs in his will. Paired together to make eight teams, they must all play a game using clues to figure out who is the murderer. Whoever solves the mystery first will receive all the money left in Mr. Westing's will. However, the clues provided to each team leads them in all directions.  As they search for the suspect, they discover that the people around them are not what they appear to be. When the players think they are defeated, one player continues to investigate, ultimately solving the puzzle.   My Perspective: The Westing Game is a mystery that most students 10 years old and up would enjoy.  Students can try to predict, infer or draw their own conclusions in this tale. This book was very well written, and a must read.  This was the Newbery Award winner, an ALA notable book, and th...
Read more

Caldecott Winners - Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley, Ed Emberley (Illustrator)

Image
Drummer Hoff by Barbara Emberley, Ed Emberley (Illustrator) Summary: Drummer Hoff is a rhyming story about an army constructing a cannon.  The rhyme introduces each brightly, colored officer that contributes a part of the cannon until its completion. In the end Drummer Hoff fires off the cannon with a KAHBLABLOOM! Each page provides additional pieces and parts to the rhythm of the words that are aligned with the progression of the construction of the cannon.  The bright, multi-colored, wood-cut illustrations won this book the 1968 Caldecott Award. My Perspective: This book is best known for its colorful characters and its rhythm and rhyme.  However, there may be a deeper message entwined.  When Drummer Hoff was written and illustrated the nation was involved in the Vietnam conflict.  There was ample protesting of the war, and it is believed that this story sends an anti-war message.  Drummer Hoff is based off an old English cumulative folk rhym...
Read more