A can't put down read!! I want to note here that yes, this book is about twin brothers who play basketball. However, if you are not into sports or feel this might be a "boy" book put that thought out of your head immediately. Everyone can easily enjoy this amazing story.
In basketball terms, a crossover is a basketball move in which a player dribbling the ball switches the ball rapidly from one hand to the other to make a change in direction. That constant movement defines the way this book is written. There are no chapters, but quick pages of verse written with sharp beats like music.
Twelve year old Josh Bell is a basketball superstar and he and his twin brother Jordan rule the court. Josh and Jordan have a unique bond and do everything together, until Jordan meets his first girlfriend and starts to have a separate life of his own. As Josh is trying to understand the changes happening in his relationship with his brother, Josh starts to see changes in his father. Why is his father out of breath sometimes? Why did he catch his father vomiting? Is his dad, the superstar in his life, sick? And can Josh and Jordan's basketball team win the championship when its two star players aren't even speaking?
I won't give anything away so that I don't ruin the plot, but I will say I finished this book in two days. Highly engrossing; you will love the characters and root on as you read every page.
I am so happy this book won the 2015 Newbery Award; it truly deserves it.
Review for The Crossover announcing Newbery Award:
http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015/feb/03/kwame-alexander-newbery-medal-dan-santat-caldecott