Homeschool Reading · Poetry

The Crossover

by Kwame Alexander · a homeschool reading guide · Newbery Medal · 2015

Best for
Grades 5–7 (a novel told entirely in verse)
Reading level
750L Lexile® measure
Subject
Poetry (verse novel · basketball)
On Chalky
142 modules with personalized comprehension questions

Use this book for

The book

Josh Bell — 'Filthy McNasty' on the court — narrates his season in poems that dribble, fake, and dunk: his twin brother Jordan has a girlfriend now, their ex-pro father won't see a doctor, and the championship is coming whether the family holds together or not.

Published in 2014 and awarded the Newbery Medal, The Crossover settled the argument about whether verse novels count: the poems run from concrete pieces that spill down the page like a fast break to quiet couplets when the family holds its breath, and the form is never decoration — tempo is meaning. For a reluctant reader it looks short and reads fast; for a strong reader it is a masterclass in why a poet breaks a line where he does. Fathers and sons in particular tend to finish this one together, and the ending earns the tears it gets.

Why homeschoolers reach for it

Reading skills it builds

On Chalky, every module ends with comprehension questions written from the book's own text, each exercising a specific skill aligned to the Common Core reading standards for grade 5.

If your state asks you to document reading instruction, this is the record: which book, which skills, which standard each aligns with, kept automatically as your child reads.

Running it as a unit

In Chalky's grade 5 reading plan, The Crossover runs as poem-sized modules — about four weeks at 25 minutes a day, open-and-go: the modules follow the poems, so every session is a complete text. A rhythm, not a rulebook:

  1. Weeks 1–3 — read aloud, keep score. A handful of poems a day, at least one aloud — tempo is the point. Track the season and the family in parallel columns; watch them cross.
  2. Along the way — the rules. Dad's ten Basketball Rules are the book's spine. Collect them as they arrive and ask what each is really about — none of them are about basketball.
  3. Close — write one. Your child writes a poem in Alexander's style about something they do well — where the lines break is the lesson. That poem is yours to keep.

Pairs well with

Start your reading comprehension curriculum on Chalky

Standards references describe alignment with the Common Core State Standards for Reading, grade 5; homeschool requirements vary by state, and this page is a record of instruction, not legal advice.