Friday Focus: Kwame Alexander

Kwame Alexander is an apt choice for our first Friday Focus Author for the month of April. April is, after all, National Poetry Month and Kwame Alexander is a POET! His very first  middle grade novel, The Crossover, was written in verse and won the 2015 Newbery Medal. He followed up with Booked, and Rebound, which is a prequel to The Crossover. On the Young Adult side, he co-wrote two verse novels with Mary Rand Hess. He's got a few picture books in the mix as well!

Last April, he launched his own imprint at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt called Versify. All four inaugural titles in the imprint won awards this year! His own, The Undefeated, won a Newbery Honor, as well as the Coretta Scott King Author Award for Mr. Alexander. Kadir Nelson did the illustrations for the book, and he won the Caldecott Medal! I have read The Undefeated aloud to a few classes and would've read it to my fifth graders this trimester. Click here to listen to Kwame Alexander read his book to lucky school children in England.

Click here to listen to a fifty minute program at the National Gallery of Art from 2019. Click here for an amazing fifty minute video of both the author and illustrator being interviewed about the book.

His website, Kwamealexander.com is chockfull of information about him, his books and there are videos of many of his appearances. He is hilarious, passionate, energetic and brilliant. Kwame Fever and/or poetry fever is a good fever to catch.

Mini-Book Talks

The Crossover was Kwame Alexander's debut middle grade novel. It is the story of Josh and Jordan, twin brothers and basketball beasts. They are tight as can be on and off the court until a classmate catches Jordan's eye and he becomes distracted much to Josh's dismay. That's not the only thing going on in this verse novel told in four quarters and OT. The boys' father is resisting seeking medical attention and their mother happens to be principal of their school, so she knows pretty quickly whenever they get in trouble. The verse crackle with energy and basketball. It's no wonder The Crossover is a TMS favorite.The Crossover audiobook is available for download through Libby. It is also available as an e-book!

Booked was Alexander's second novel. Though the cover is similar to The Crossover, this is a standalone novel. Nick is an eighth grader who hates reading, is an ace on the soccer field, being bullied and worried about his parents' constant arguing. Booked is available as an e-book through BCCLS/ Overdrive and the e-audio is available to place a hold in Libby.

Rebound is a prequel of sorts to The Crossover. It tells the story of Josh and Jordan's father, Chuck, "Da Man" Bell when he was twelve and making some wrong turns in his life. You should read The Crossover first though. So satisfying! Rebound is available as an e-book through BCCLS.

I didn't think The Crossover could be improved on, but I was wrong. The Crossover: Graphic Novel crackles with excitement. The art by Dawud Anyabwile is just terrific! Not to be missed!The Crossover: Graphic Novel is available to check out as an e-book!

And below is a screen shot of a few pics I have from over the years.