Ankle Breaker

I love Basketball. My favorite part of the game is stealing passes that I read like an open book and taking the ball down court for an easy layup. I was really hesitant to read a poetry book as I have never liked the idea of beating the thought out of the poem but I fell in love with this book. “The Crossover” by Kwame Alexander is such a delightful read to those who love the game of basketball and to those who never have enjoyed sports The book follows a seventh grader named Josh Bell and his twin brother Jordan Bell. The book flows really well that it reads like a hip hop song at times which makes the reading pretty effortless and during the basketball games it keeps you on the edge of your seat as if you were there watching the game for yourself.

My favorite parts of this book are when he describes basketball rules that relate really well to life. “Play Hard, Practice Harder,” When you practice really hard at something and the time comes to perform it will be easy, because you have spent the time and effort perfecting your game. This book teaches a lot about growing up and how a teenage boy reacts around to the world around him from family to friends. I big reason why I love this book is because it reminds me so much of my family. The mother in this book preaches about eating healthy and how she dislikes eating out but allows it every once in a while. The father after the basketball games are over gives tips as to how each of his sons can improve their game and questioning them for why they did things wrong in the game. Just like my parents, the main character has a loving and supportive family that will help them succeed yet still tell them when they messed up in life.

Kwame Alexander does an excellent job of creating a book enjoyable to all readers even if they do not like poetry or basketball. It does not take a lot of effort to enjoy the way the author uses words and plays with the lines. I got sucked in about the loyalty of the two brothers and their friendship. The connection that they have with their father and how it was an enjoyable time to spend together even if they thought he might have been pushing them too far in basketball practices is portrayed really well as a sign of love and wisdom sharing.

 

Cento:

Sunny

Shooting star flying fast

And that made me feel.

Silence Doesn’t mean we have nothing to say,

Only that we are trying not to say them.

 

If you miss enough of life’s free throws,

You will pay in the end.

You can’t get used to things going well,

But you’re never prepared for something going wrong.

 

All of my blood in my veins

Was bubbling and all of the thoughts

In my head were buzzing

But I felt bad enough

That is the ugliest thing.

 

Now I’m laughing too, But

Only on the outside.

Y’all know how much I love you?