More great reads: the best books for 11 year olds
Longlisted for the UKLA 2017 Book Award
‘The Crossover’ is original and absolutely stunning, both visually and emotionally, it’s also an award winner, and deserves to be. First published in the United States in 2014 and described perfectly as a novel-in-verse, this is a story about basketball playing twins, Josh and Jordan.
I initially wondered, as I looked at the visual impact of the first page, how easy it would be to read, as the words themselves slant and grow and fill the page with attitude. The answer is that this is a remarkably beautiful and accessible read, at times I even read out loud, the sounds resonating and rolling from the page.
This style really encourages feeling and understanding to grow, and before I knew it I was fully immersed in the story and letting the words ebb and flow through my mind. Fresh, funny and heart achingly sad, ‘The Crossover’ is a dynamic, vital and gripping story, that I highly and truly recommend.

Kwame Alexander's New York Times bestseller and Newbery Medal-winning The Crossover is vividly brought to life as a graphic novel with stunning illustrations by star talent Dawud Anyabwile. New York Times Bestseller · Newbery Medal Winner · Coretta Scott King Honor Award · 2015 YALSA Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults · 2015 YALSA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers · Publishers Weekly Best Book · School Library Journal Best Book · KirkusReviews Best Book "A beautifully measured novel of life and line." -New York Times Book Review The Crossover is now a graphic novel! "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . . The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. 'Cuz tonight I'm delivering," raps twelve-year-old Josh Bell. Thanks to their dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan, are kings on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood-he's got mad beats, too, which help him find his rhythm when it's all on the line. See the Bell family in a whole new light through Dawud Anyabwile's dynamic illustrations as the brothers' winning season unfolds, and the world as they know it begins to change.
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The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed The Crossover and determined it is suitable for children aged 11-14 years old
The Crossover features in the following genres: Featured Books for 11+ readers, Featured Books for 13+ readers, Recommendations, Recommended Children's eBooks, Stories about Family and Friends, School Stories, Sporting Stories, Stories in Verse, PSHE: Family Issues, PSHE: Siblings, Personal Social Health Economic (PSHE), Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Gritty Reads
Hardback, Paperback. Not Available.
The Crossover was written by Kwame Alexander and published by Clarion Books an imprint of HMH Books
The Crossover has 218 pages
Yes it is part of The Crossover Series series