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The Crossover Graphic Novel #1
The Crossover Graphic Novel
Kwame Alexander's The Crossover is brought to life as a graphic novel with illustrations by Dawud Anyabwile.
"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 illustrations as the brothers' winning season unfolds, and the world as they know it begins to change.
"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 illustrations as the brothers' winning season unfolds, and the world as they know it begins to change.
224 pages, Paperback
Published September 24, 2019
About the author
Kwame Alexander
117 books3,238 followersKwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and New York Times Bestselling author of 21 books, including The Crossover, which received the 2015 John Newbery Medal for the Most Distinguished Contribution to American literature for Children, the Coretta Scott King Author Award Honor, The NCTE Charlotte Huck Honor, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, and the Passaic Poetry Prize. Kwame writes for children of all ages. His other works include Surf's Up, a picture book; Booked, a middle grade novel; and He Said She Said, a YA novel.
Kwame believes that poetry can change the world, and he uses it to inspire and empower young people through his PAGE TO STAGE Writing and Publishing Program released by Scholastic. A regular speaker at colleges and conferences in the U.S., he also travels the world planting seeds of literary love (Singapore, Brazil, Italy, France, Shanghai, etc.). Recently, Alexander led a delegation of 20 writers and activists to Ghana, where they delivered books, built a library, and provided literacy professional development to 300 teachers, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an International literacy program he co-founded.
Kwame believes that poetry can change the world, and he uses it to inspire and empower young people through his PAGE TO STAGE Writing and Publishing Program released by Scholastic. A regular speaker at colleges and conferences in the U.S., he also travels the world planting seeds of literary love (Singapore, Brazil, Italy, France, Shanghai, etc.). Recently, Alexander led a delegation of 20 writers and activists to Ghana, where they delivered books, built a library, and provided literacy professional development to 300 teachers, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an International literacy program he co-founded.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 516 reviews
November 3, 2026
I didn't think I could The Crossover more, until I found the graphic novel. I cannot wait to share this one with "my" students.
May 10, 2021
This graphic novel adaptation is a huge win in my opinion. In the original version, the creativity with spacing the verse on the page was effective in using white space and font size to add drama to the narrative. In this new version, the graphics enhance the verse and push it to a new level. I know not everyone agrees with me. As someone who scores highly on the visual learning scale, the combination of verse and graphics makes for a tremendous reading experience. Can't wait to see 'Booked' in its graphic form!
October 2, 2026
My wife read the original book to me during a road trip two months ago. It was good, and I was pretty psyched about experiencing it again in the form of this "graphic novel adaptation."
I was disappointed when I picked up this new version and flipped through it because I could see that it was less a "graphic novel adaptation" and more an illustrated version of the original verse. There are hardly any sequential illustrations and maybe six word balloons in the whole thing; most pages consist of one to three spot illustrations placed around blocks of text.
To verify if the text was changed to any degree, I did an immersive experience, listening to the audiobook version narrated by Corey Allen while reading along in this graphic version. The graphic novel [GN] text was about 99% verbatim from the original text [OT]. Here are three of the four changes -- adaptations? -- I noticed. (The fourth instance was of one or two words dropping out of a sentence, but I failed to mark it well enough to locate it again.)
OT p. 80: "Somewhere between / camaraderie and imbecile / I tap her beige bare shoulder / with the note."
GN p. 82: "Somewhere between / camaraderie and imbecile / I tap her beige bare shoulder."
My assumption: Changed because the illustration shows Josh tapping her shoulder with his finger.
OT p. 84: "But today Mr. Lane tells / us not to dress out. / He's standing in front of the class, / a dummy laid out on the floor, / plastic, faceless, torso cut in half."
GN p. 85: "But today Mr. Lane's standing in front of / the class, a dummy laid out on the floor, / plastic, armless, torso cut in half."
My assumption: Changed because the illustration shows the student characters dressed out in their gym clothes instead of their regular clothes and the dummy with a vague face on its head.
OT p. 228: "I grab Mom's right hand. / JB grabs her left."
GN p. 207: "I grab Mom's left hand. JB grabs her right."
My assumption: Changed to match the arrangement shown in the illustration.
Really, the main adaptation that does occur is in where the hard returns are placed in order to fit all the words around the illustrations. Sentences originally presented in long columns of one to four words per line are often compacted into two or three lines above or below a picture.
This is, of course, all quibbling. The story is still good. The illustrations are also nice, even if they don't transform the text into a graphic novel. I stand by my assessment in my original review:
"A simple and predictable story is brightened by its powerful flow of words. Josh Bell, nicknamed 'Filthy McNasty,' is flying high because he's a star player on his junior high basketball team, but he's upset about the growing rift between him and his teammate twin brother and concerned about his father's reluctance to get his sporadic health problems checked out."
I had planned to read the companion book, Booked, in both its original form and the graphic novel adaptation, but it looks like it is done in the same non-adaptation style as this, so I'll probably just skip the text-only version and do another audio/illustrated immersive read at some point. There's also a prequel, Rebound, that doesn't yet have an adaption, but apparently includes some limited illustrations already. I may get to that one day too.
I was disappointed when I picked up this new version and flipped through it because I could see that it was less a "graphic novel adaptation" and more an illustrated version of the original verse. There are hardly any sequential illustrations and maybe six word balloons in the whole thing; most pages consist of one to three spot illustrations placed around blocks of text.
To verify if the text was changed to any degree, I did an immersive experience, listening to the audiobook version narrated by Corey Allen while reading along in this graphic version. The graphic novel [GN] text was about 99% verbatim from the original text [OT]. Here are three of the four changes -- adaptations? -- I noticed. (The fourth instance was of one or two words dropping out of a sentence, but I failed to mark it well enough to locate it again.)
OT p. 80: "Somewhere between / camaraderie and imbecile / I tap her beige bare shoulder / with the note."
GN p. 82: "Somewhere between / camaraderie and imbecile / I tap her beige bare shoulder."
My assumption: Changed because the illustration shows Josh tapping her shoulder with his finger.
OT p. 84: "But today Mr. Lane tells / us not to dress out. / He's standing in front of the class, / a dummy laid out on the floor, / plastic, faceless, torso cut in half."
GN p. 85: "But today Mr. Lane's standing in front of / the class, a dummy laid out on the floor, / plastic, armless, torso cut in half."
My assumption: Changed because the illustration shows the student characters dressed out in their gym clothes instead of their regular clothes and the dummy with a vague face on its head.
OT p. 228: "I grab Mom's right hand. / JB grabs her left."
GN p. 207: "I grab Mom's left hand. JB grabs her right."
My assumption: Changed to match the arrangement shown in the illustration.
Really, the main adaptation that does occur is in where the hard returns are placed in order to fit all the words around the illustrations. Sentences originally presented in long columns of one to four words per line are often compacted into two or three lines above or below a picture.
This is, of course, all quibbling. The story is still good. The illustrations are also nice, even if they don't transform the text into a graphic novel. I stand by my assessment in my original review:
"A simple and predictable story is brightened by its powerful flow of words. Josh Bell, nicknamed 'Filthy McNasty,' is flying high because he's a star player on his junior high basketball team, but he's upset about the growing rift between him and his teammate twin brother and concerned about his father's reluctance to get his sporadic health problems checked out."
I had planned to read the companion book, Booked, in both its original form and the graphic novel adaptation, but it looks like it is done in the same non-adaptation style as this, so I'll probably just skip the text-only version and do another audio/illustrated immersive read at some point. There's also a prequel, Rebound, that doesn't yet have an adaption, but apparently includes some limited illustrations already. I may get to that one day too.
Read
February 4, 2022This graphic novel adaptation is a huge win in my opinion. In the original version, the creativity with spacing the verse on the page was effective in using white space and font size to add drama to the narrative. In this new version, the graphics enhance the verse and push it to a new level. I know not everyone agrees with me. As someone who scores highly on the visual learning scale, the combination of verse and graphics makes for a tremendous reading experience. Can't wait to see 'Booked' in its graphic form! *Reviewed by Darla from Red Bridge*
February 13, 2023
This. Book. Oh my gosh! Perfection! I never read the original novel in verse but decided to pick up the GN adaptation. I am so glad I did. What a treasure this book is—I feel like it was always meant to be a graphic novel. The symmetry of the words and images is masterful. This is a book that touches all your senses—you hear the pounding of the ball on the court, the beats Alexander spins with his poetry. You feel the rhythm and the raw emotions that run the gambit—unconditional love all the way to devastation. See the explosion of passion for the game through the vibrant tri-color illustrations. Taste and smell the Krispy Kreme doughnuts and Golden Dragon egg rolls! This book is an experience every reader deserves!
December 9, 2019
This book was awesome! Personally I think that I like it better than the original because you could see the characters and their emotions and you didn't have to imagine them and personally I can make better connections with people in the book if I can see them. I also really like a graphic novel so the style of the book was amazing I would recommend this book to anyone who has read crossover, its 218 pages, and a quick read.
October 8, 2019
Incredible graphic novel adaptation of a student favorite! I know this will be another book I just can't keep on the library shelves. Ages 10 and up.
February 11, 2023
I had no idea what to expect when I saw this graphic novel in my local book store. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is the graphic novelization of his Newberry Medal award winning novel of the same name. Written in a combination of free verse and prose, it tells the story of basketball playing twins, Josh and Jordan Bell, stars of their junior high basketball team. The story is told by Josh, AKA Filthy McNasty. Josh leads from the front and Jordan is the dribbler, free throw shooter.
Their dad is an ex-basketball player, had a great career in Italy but had to retire when he injured his knee. He attends every game, getting almost too involved. Their mother is an assistant principal in their high school and rules the roost.
The closeness of the two brothers is tested severely when Jordan falls for a new girl in school; a pulchritudinous beauty in tight jeans and pink Reeboks. Josh will now find himself without his constant companion, the person he goes to to sound out his fears, his desires.
Compounding this stress is the health of Dad, who refuses to go see a doctor even under pressure from Mom. She worries about his high blood pressure, possible heart problems.
Kwame Alexander presents this story wonderfully; emotionally, sensitively. The penwork of David Anyabwile adds to the impact of the story; his drawings are crisp, lifelike, filled with action. The story flows, strikes at your core, is just excellent. (4.5 stars)
Their dad is an ex-basketball player, had a great career in Italy but had to retire when he injured his knee. He attends every game, getting almost too involved. Their mother is an assistant principal in their high school and rules the roost.
The closeness of the two brothers is tested severely when Jordan falls for a new girl in school; a pulchritudinous beauty in tight jeans and pink Reeboks. Josh will now find himself without his constant companion, the person he goes to to sound out his fears, his desires.
Compounding this stress is the health of Dad, who refuses to go see a doctor even under pressure from Mom. She worries about his high blood pressure, possible heart problems.
Kwame Alexander presents this story wonderfully; emotionally, sensitively. The penwork of David Anyabwile adds to the impact of the story; his drawings are crisp, lifelike, filled with action. The story flows, strikes at your core, is just excellent. (4.5 stars)
September 27, 2019
I was very, very curious (and, honestly, excited) to see how a novel-in-verse would be adapted into graphic form. So, while I was reading this, I also read the original so I could check the text for changes. As far as I can tell, the only change is that a reference to a girl's butt being big became a reference to her mouth being big. I don't quite understand why that change was made, but okay. Other than that, all of the poems were rendered faithfully in the spaces between drawings. This wasn't a traditionally paneled graphic novel, but it was still clearly a graphic novel and not an illustrated edition. I really loved the energy of the artwork; the use of color (orange, shades of black, and blank paper) was wonderful. My big negative was how much I missed the creative use of formatting and blank space in the original book. I don't think it would have been possible to recreate all the formatting, and the artwork kind of takes over the work that the formatting did, but it's not the same and it upset me a little. Format is really important to poetry, and I just missed it is all.
Still, gorgeous.
Still, gorgeous.
November 16, 2019
Dawud Anyabwile's illustrations are beautiful, so I hate to say it, but I think I missed out by reading the graphic novel rather than the original verse structure. I didn't have a sense of the individual poems--of where they started and ended and how they look on the page--so I think some of the meaning was lost.
In any case, this is a compelling story about being a teammate and a brother. It's a go-to recommendation for students who don't consider themselves readers, especially if they play sports. They always want to go on to the sequel. What more can you ask for from a YA read?
In any case, this is a compelling story about being a teammate and a brother. It's a go-to recommendation for students who don't consider themselves readers, especially if they play sports. They always want to go on to the sequel. What more can you ask for from a YA read?
January 26, 2022
The conflict really drives the story for this book. Well written and well illustrated.
May 21, 2020
Want to see more bookish things from me? Check out my Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCfer...
*I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
3.5/5 Stars
Josh and Jordan Bell are twelve-year-old twin brothers. Their father was a semi-pro basketball player nicknamed "Da Man". He passed down his basketball knowledge to his boys, also talented up and coming players. As the boys grow up, Jordan's eyes stray away from basketball and move towards a girl leaving Josh feeling left out and abandoned. Their father starts to have some health problems and Josh's world is flipped upside down.
This is the graphic novel version of The Crossover, a novel written in verse. I like how the text in this was also in verse. I really loved the colour choices of black, white and orange in this. I've been playing basketball since I was 4, and connected with my Dad through it, just like the twins so I related so much to this book. I love the relationship dynamic between this family. The parents have some great banter between them, while still discussing important topics, such as the father's health issues. I liked how the parents were present in their children's lives, and were raising them to be good men. I also really liked the sibling dynamic. The twins acted like actual siblings, arguing at times over stupid things, but always coming back together in the end. I also really liked the portrayal of Josh feeling hurt and abandoned by his brother when JB started dating Alexis. His reaction was what a lot of brothers would have felt, and I'm glad his parents reacted the way they did.
Definitely recommend checking this out!
*I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
3.5/5 Stars
Josh and Jordan Bell are twelve-year-old twin brothers. Their father was a semi-pro basketball player nicknamed "Da Man". He passed down his basketball knowledge to his boys, also talented up and coming players. As the boys grow up, Jordan's eyes stray away from basketball and move towards a girl leaving Josh feeling left out and abandoned. Their father starts to have some health problems and Josh's world is flipped upside down.
This is the graphic novel version of The Crossover, a novel written in verse. I like how the text in this was also in verse. I really loved the colour choices of black, white and orange in this. I've been playing basketball since I was 4, and connected with my Dad through it, just like the twins so I related so much to this book. I love the relationship dynamic between this family. The parents have some great banter between them, while still discussing important topics, such as the father's health issues. I liked how the parents were present in their children's lives, and were raising them to be good men. I also really liked the sibling dynamic. The twins acted like actual siblings, arguing at times over stupid things, but always coming back together in the end. I also really liked the portrayal of Josh feeling hurt and abandoned by his brother when JB started dating Alexis. His reaction was what a lot of brothers would have felt, and I'm glad his parents reacted the way they did.
Definitely recommend checking this out!
October 15, 2019
I have a feeling that this graphic novel version will be a big hit with my 6th grade students. The illustrations add another dimension to the story, but I have to admit that I actually missed the clean look of the verse and white space.
July 24, 2020
A Very Good YA book written in the style of a poem.
May 16, 2026
Good read
This is the first book ive read by Kwame Alexander and it was really good. I heard about it on YouTube and decided to give it a try. It flows well and covers a ton of things that teens might need help getting though. It also gives a bunch of information on basketball and heart health. I really enjoyed this book.
This is the first book ive read by Kwame Alexander and it was really good. I heard about it on YouTube and decided to give it a try. It flows well and covers a ton of things that teens might need help getting though. It also gives a bunch of information on basketball and heart health. I really enjoyed this book.
December 7, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up.
I needed a sports book for a reading challenge and figured this would be an easy one. It hit more emotionally than I thought and beyond my love for the game of basketball. Well written and illustrated.
I needed a sports book for a reading challenge and figured this would be an easy one. It hit more emotionally than I thought and beyond my love for the game of basketball. Well written and illustrated.
November 23, 2019
4.5
Huge thank you to Raincoast for this ARC!
I adored Kwame Alexander's The Crossover a few years back. As a person who has very little interest in sports, I loved the way Alexander wove sports and family together through his beautiful poems. I loved the Bell family, I loved Josh's narration, and there was also something about the twists and turns in Alexander's prose that just had me completely head-over-heels.
This graphic novel version of The Crossover may even be better than the original. Having Dawud Anyabwile's gorgeous illustrations accompany Alexander's poetry is phenomenal. I felt like Anyabwile's artwork really showcased the heart and soul of the Bell family's trials and tribulations in such a way where it connected to the text perfectly. I loved the artwork, and how Josh and Jordan were designed, and I loved the attention to detail throughout.
The Crossover is still a wonderful and powerful story about family. A lot of what Alexander's words stated in 2014, are just as true in 2019. This edition boasts amazing artwork to accompany Alexander's beautiful words, and is a great addition to anyone's graphic novel collection or just for anyone who loves story about family and the turbulence than comes with being a part of one.
Huge thank you to Raincoast for this ARC!
I adored Kwame Alexander's The Crossover a few years back. As a person who has very little interest in sports, I loved the way Alexander wove sports and family together through his beautiful poems. I loved the Bell family, I loved Josh's narration, and there was also something about the twists and turns in Alexander's prose that just had me completely head-over-heels.
This graphic novel version of The Crossover may even be better than the original. Having Dawud Anyabwile's gorgeous illustrations accompany Alexander's poetry is phenomenal. I felt like Anyabwile's artwork really showcased the heart and soul of the Bell family's trials and tribulations in such a way where it connected to the text perfectly. I loved the artwork, and how Josh and Jordan were designed, and I loved the attention to detail throughout.
The Crossover is still a wonderful and powerful story about family. A lot of what Alexander's words stated in 2014, are just as true in 2019. This edition boasts amazing artwork to accompany Alexander's beautiful words, and is a great addition to anyone's graphic novel collection or just for anyone who loves story about family and the turbulence than comes with being a part of one.
October 19, 2021
I learned two very deep lessons from this book. One is that no matter how much life tries to drag you down, always get back up. The second is that life has unexpected moments and sometimes they fly by super fast that you don't have time to even do something.
After hitting his brother in the face with a basketball, Jordan's father suddenly has a heart attack, the heart attack makes Jordan want to cherish his last few moments with his father and make him appreciate how much help he has given to him throughout his journey. From shooting free throws to an Allen Iverson like cross-over. After hitting the game-winner, that shot made everyone proud of him, especially his father who dies a few moments after hitting that shot.
Kwame Alexander uses a lot of poetry and descriptive language to make the basketball games and Josh's emotions look realistic. It felt like I was also on their journey. The reason why I got this book is because of my interest in basketball, the age of the main character is 13 while I'm also 13, I can connect a lot towards him. My father would also help me during my basketball practices.
This book has inspired me a lot and confidence is required to take a game-winning shot, I would recommend this book to people that enjoy sports and comic novels.
After hitting his brother in the face with a basketball, Jordan's father suddenly has a heart attack, the heart attack makes Jordan want to cherish his last few moments with his father and make him appreciate how much help he has given to him throughout his journey. From shooting free throws to an Allen Iverson like cross-over. After hitting the game-winner, that shot made everyone proud of him, especially his father who dies a few moments after hitting that shot.
Kwame Alexander uses a lot of poetry and descriptive language to make the basketball games and Josh's emotions look realistic. It felt like I was also on their journey. The reason why I got this book is because of my interest in basketball, the age of the main character is 13 while I'm also 13, I can connect a lot towards him. My father would also help me during my basketball practices.
This book has inspired me a lot and confidence is required to take a game-winning shot, I would recommend this book to people that enjoy sports and comic novels.
September 1, 2020
Please see my 5 star review of the original novel in verse here Although I enjoyed this version of Alexander's story it just didn't read as a graphic novel at all to me. This takes nothing from Anyabwile's illustrations and limited colour palette which are excellent but I think that the structure of the poems themselves meant that there was little space room for creative play with regards to pace frame and spread. I realise that for many readers the illustrative element of the novel could be the hook that they need and want but this is my own personal opinion. Would I have it in the classroom? Of course! Do I prefer the original? I do.
January 22, 2020
I was very interested in reading this, because I used the original version extensively with classes in the library. I displayed selected passages on the whiteboard wall, and had student volunteers read some aloud. Somehow, in the translation to graphic novel, it felt to me like something was lost rather than gained. The first chapter seemed fantastic to me, with the way the illustrations were interspersed with the words, and I know that the book will be very popular, but the book felt longer to me, even though both versions are the same words.
October 22, 2020
I adore Kwame. I've read each of his books at least 5 times aloud, so I knew the story-line of this. The graphic novel is almost identical in text, just with illustrations throughout. I wouldn't recommend reading it if you've already read the regular version. I found that the original version is great for readers with low-motivation, as it's written in verse. So, this version must be for readers VERY little motivation.
October 8, 2019
I was apprehensive about this graphic novel because I love the novel in verse version of it, but the graphics give it a whole new feel and really captures the characters and the poetry just jumps out at you. This is a book not to be missed.
March 22, 2022
at first i thought i would not like this book but i ended up liking it and finished it in 5 or 3 days and its sad that there dad died at the end but at least Joshua and Jordan forgave each other and Alexis aka miss sweet tea made up with Joshua
July 22, 2022
I listened to the non - graphic novel version of this book years ago and it really stuck with me. But, I think I like the graphic novel version even more. The art complements the poetry so well and I loved the lyricalness of the words.
TW: death of a parent, hospitalization
TW: death of a parent, hospitalization
April 21, 2024
I hate basketball, but that's what makes this book so special. It's not about basketball, it's about family, love, respect, and understanding what's important in life. The context is basketball, but this story is so much more than that.
June 22, 2019
Dawud Anyabwile’s illustrations perfectly complement Kwame’s poetry. A slam dunk!
October 21, 2019
I cry everytime I read this book. Now in graphic novel format, I still cry.
April 17, 2021
Loved the original book. Love-LOVED the audio version. Love-love-LOVED this.
Read
May 14, 2021I love this book it has a lot of emotion and you will cry I know it. It is really good and emotional.
February 6, 2023
I knew this book would be good based on how often I had seen it recommended, but dang - I didn’t know I’d be in tears at the end. I can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 516 reviews