Kwame Alexander Books In Order
Book links take you to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn money from qualifying purchases.Publication Order of The Crossover Books
The Crossover | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Booked | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Rebound | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Standalone Novels
He Said, She Said | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Solo | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Swing | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Door of No Return | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Picture Books
Acoustic Rooster and His Barnyard Band | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Indigo Blume and the Garden City | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Little Boys Soar | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Surf's Up | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Acoustic Rooster's Barnyard Boogie Starring Indigo Blume | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
An American Story | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
How to Write a Poem | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Collections
Just Us | (1997) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
360° A Revolution of Black Poets | (1998) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Crush | (1999) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kupenda | (2000) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dancing Naked on the Floor | (2005) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Broken Miracles | (2006) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Family Pictures | (2007) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
And Then You Know | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Playbook | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Ark | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Out of Wonder | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Light for the World to See | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Non-Fiction Books
Do the Write Thing | (2001) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Write Thing | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Undefeated | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
How to Read a Book | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Kwame Alexander's Free Write | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Why Fathers Cry at Night | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of James Patterson Children's Books
SantaKid | (2004) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Give Please a Chance | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Penguins of America | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Laugh Out Loud | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Give Thank You a Try | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Not So Normal Norbert | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Unbelievably Boring Bartholomew | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Katt vs. Dogg | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Sophia, Princess Among Beasts | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Becoming Muhammad Ali | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Scaredy Cat | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Best Nerds Forever | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of National Geographic Kids Books
Puzzle Book Dinosaurs | (0) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Volcano!: The Icelandic Eruption of 2010 and Other Hot, Smoky, Fierce, and Fiery Mountains | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Great Migrations: Whales, Wildebeests, Butterflies, Elephants, and Other Amazing Animals on the Move | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Winter Wonderland | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Pop!: With 5 Incredible, Life Size Fold-outs | (2010) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Awesome Animals: With Games, Facts, and 10 Pull-out Posters! | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tornado!: The Story Behind These Twisting, Turning, Spinning, and Spiraling Storms | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Weird But True: 1,000 Wild & Wacky Facts and Photos | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Are You "Normal"? | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Monsters of the Deep | (2011) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Cherry Blossoms Say Spring | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas: Maps, Games, Activities, and More for Hours of Backseat Fun | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
When Dinos Dawned, Mammals Got Munched, and Pterosaurs Took Flight: A Cartoon PreHistory of Life in the Triassic | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids 125 True Stories of Amazing Animals: Inspiring Tales of Animal Friendship & Four-Legged Heroes, Plus Crazy Animal Antics | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids United States Atlas | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Saving Yasha: The Incredible True Story of an Adopted Moon Bear | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
5,000 Awesome Facts | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun, Mind-bending, Totally Awesome Trivia Questions | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Alien Deep: Revealing the Mysterious Living World at the Bottom of the Ocean | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
That's Gross!: Icky Facts That Will Test Your Gross-Out Factor | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Xtreme Illusions: Perplexing Puzzles, Amazing Mind Tricks, Impossible Illusions | (2012) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Cutest Animals Sticker Activity Book: Over 1,000 stickers! | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Weird But True 2: 1,000 Wild & Wacky Facts & Photos! | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
That's Creepy: Spine-Tingling Facts That Will Test Your Creep-out Factor | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Quiz Whiz 2: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Tracking Tyrannosaurs: Meet T. rex's fascinating family, from tiny terrors to feathered giants | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Are You "Normal"? 2 | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Bugopedia: The Most Complete Bug Reference Ever | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Alien Worlds: Your Guide to Extraterrestrial Life | (2013) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
What in the World?: Fun-Tastic Photo Puzzles for Curious Minds | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Globetrotting World Atlas: Maps, Games, Activities, and More for Hours of Adventure-filled Fun! | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Mission: Lion Rescue: All About Lions and How to Save Them | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
100 Things to Do Before You Grow Up | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Mission: Wolf Rescue: All About Wolves and How to Save Them | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
This or That?: The Wacky Book of Choices to Reveal the Hidden You | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Get Outside Guide: All Things Adventure, Exploration, and Fun! | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Super Space Sticker Activity Book | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Amazing Pets Sticker Activity Book | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Quiz Whiz 3: 1,000 Super Fun Mind-bending Totally Awesome Trivia Questions | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
NGK space Sticker activity book : Over 1,000 Stickers! | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids 125 True Stories of Amazing Pets: Inspiring Tales of Animal Friendship and Four-legged Heroes, Plus Crazy Animal Antics | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Funny Fill-in: My Medieval Adventure | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Angry Birds Explore the World | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Jam: Official Insider's Guide | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Cookbook: A Year-Round Fun Food Adventure | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
This or That? 2: More Wacky Choices to Reveal the Hidden You | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Stories | (2014) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Friend for Lakota | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
1,000 Facts About the Bible | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Xtreme Illusions 2: Mind-Blowing Illusions, Wacky Brain Teasers, Awesome Puzzles | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
This or That? 3: Even More Wacky Choices to Reveal the Hidden You | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dirtmeister's Nitty Gritty Planet Earth: All About Rocks, Minerals, Fossils, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, & Even Dirt! | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Boredom-Busting Fun Stuff: Cool Games, Hilarious Jokes, Awesome Quizzes, and More! | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Animal Records: The Biggest, Fastest, Weirdest, Tiniest, Slowest, and Deadliest Creatures on the Planet | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Ultimate Adventure Atlas of Earth: Maps, Games, Activities, and More for Hours of Extreme Fun! | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Guide to Photography: TipsTricks on How to Be a Great Photographer From the ProsYour Pals at My Shot | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
100 Things to Make You Happy | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
When Fish Got Feet, When Bugs Were Big, and When Dinos Dawned: A Cartoon Prehistory of Life on Earth | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Treasury of Egyptian Mythology: Classic Stories of Gods, Goddesses, Monsters & Mortals | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mastermind: Over 100 Games, Tests, and Puzzles to Unleash Your Inner Genius | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Brain Games: The Mind-Blowing Science of Your Amazing Brain | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
What in the World: Look Again: Fun-tastic Photo Puzzles for Curious Minds | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Why?: Over 1,111 Answers to Everything | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Extreme Planet: Carsten Peter's Adventures in Volcanoes, Caves, Canyons, Deserts, and Beyond! | (2015) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Buddy Bison's Yellowstone Adventure | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Get Outside Creativity Book: Cutouts, Games, Stencils, Stickers | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
This or That 4: Even More Wacky Choices to Reveal the Hidden You | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Awesome 8: 50 Picture-Packed Top 8 Lists! | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
125 Wacky Roadside Attractions: See All the Weird, Wonderful, and Downright Bizarre Landmarks From Around the World! | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Beginner's United States Atlas | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
5,000 Awesome Facts3 | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mars: The Red Planet: Rocks, Rovers, Pioneers, and More! | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
By the Numbers 2.0: 110.01 Cool Infographics Packed With Stats and Figures | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Stuck Inside Creativity Book: Cutouts, Games, Stencils, Stickers | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
How Things Work: Discover Secrets and Science Behind Bounce Houses, Hovercraft, Robotics, and Everything in Between | (2016) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Benjamin Franklin's Wise Words | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Ark: Celebrating our Wild World in Poetry and Pictures | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Explorer Guide: Explore, Discover, and Create Your Own Adventures With Real National Geographic Explorers as Your Guides! | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Awesome 8 Extreme | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Brain Bogglers: Over 100 Games and Puzzles to Reveal the Mysteries of Your Mind | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Thank You Cards | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Space Atlas | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Chomp!: Fierce facts about the BITE FORCE, CRUSHING JAWS, and MIGHTY TEETH of Earth's champion chewers | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
What Would Happen?: Serious Answers to Silly Questions | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
By the Numbers 3.14: 110.01 Cool Infographics Packed With Stats and Figures | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
How Things Work: Inside Out: Discover Secrets and Science Behind Trick Candles, 3D Printers, Penguin Propulsions, and Everything in Between | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Hey, Baby!: A Collection of Pictures, Poems, and Stories from Nature's Nursery | (2017) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Astronaut-Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
A Leap for Legadema: The True Story of a Little Leopard in a Big World | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Who's Who in the Bible | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Seed is the Start, A | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Puzzle Book What in the World | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Puzzle Book Animals | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Bird Guide of North America, Second Edition | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Solve This!: Wild and Wacky Challenges for the Genius Engineer in You | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Guide to Genealogy | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Birthday Cards | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Extreme Records | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids World Atlas, 5th Edition | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids My First Atlas of the World: A Child's First Picture Atlas | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Insects | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Rocks and Minerals | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Big Cats | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Dinosaurs | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Ancient Egypt | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Weather | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Volcanoes and Earthquakes | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Sharks | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Space | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Dog Science Unleashed: Fun Activities to do with your Canine Companion | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Why Not?: Over 1,111 Answers to Everything | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Zombies!: And Other Bloodsucking Beasts, Creepy Creatures, and Real-Life Monsters | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
How Things Work: Then and Now | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Secrets Revealed: A Closer look at the Weirdest, Wildest Facts on Earth | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
How To Speak Dog | (2018) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Puzzle Book - Horses & Ponies | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Puzzle Book Under The Sea | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Dream Journal | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Don't Read This Book Before Dinner: Revoltingly true tales of foul food, icky animals, horrible history, and more | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Showdown: Round Two | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Readers: Deadly Animals Collection | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Nerd A to Z: Your Reference to Literally Figuratively Everything You've Always Wanted to Know | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Surprising Stories Behind Everyday Stuff | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Explorer Field Guides Rocks and Minerals | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Explorer Field Guides British Birds | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Explorer Field Guides Night Sky | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Kids Ultimate Weatherpedia: The most complete weather reference ever | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Book of Queens: Legendary Leaders, Fierce Females, and Wonder Women Who Ruled the World | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Book of Kings: Magnificent Monarchs, Notorious Nobles, and Distinguished Dudes Who Ruled the World | (2019) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
British Trees | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Explorer Insects | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Brain Games: Colossal Book of Cranium-Crushers | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Awesome Maths and English Age 7-9 | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Big Quiz Book | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Showdown: Round Three: Surprising Animal Matchups with Surprising Results | (2020) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
One Step Further: My Story of Math, the Moon, and a Lifelong Mission | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean Through Pictures, Poems, and Stories | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Oceans Find it! Explore it! | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animals Find it! Explore it! | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Around the World Find it! Explore it! | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Space Quiz Book | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Our World Quiz Book | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animals Quiz Book | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Puzzle Book Dogs | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Stone Age to Iron Age | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Romans in Britain | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: World War II | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Anglo-Saxons | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Weird but true! 2022 | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Animal Riddles Book | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Puzzle Book Deadly Creatures | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The World’s Most Amazing Places | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Big Puzzle Book: More than 250 brain-tickling quizzes | (2021) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Mythical Beasts: 100 Fun Facts About Real Animals and the Myths They Inspire | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
So Cool! Dinos | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Would you rather? Animals | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Football: Score tons of facts, photos and fun! | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Everything: Dogs | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Can't Get Enough Space Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More! | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Can't Get Enough Space Stuff: Fun Facts, Awesome Info, Cool Games, Silly Jokes, and More! | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Weird but true 2023 | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
National Geographic Wild Animal Atlas: Earth's Astonishing Animals and Where They Live | (2022) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Ultimate Mammalpedia | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
The Ultimate Book of Reptiles: Your guide to the secret lives of these scaly, slithery, and spectacular creatures! | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Jurassic Smarts: A jam-packed fact book for dinosaur superfans! | (2023) | Hardcover Paperback Kindle |
Publication Order of Anthologies
Kwame Alexander is young adult fiction and children’s fiction author and poet who made his name advocating for introducing the art of writing and literary works to school going children. He made his debut writing the Newbery Medal award-winning novel The Crossover in 2014.
The author was born in New York, but spent much of his childhood and teenage years in Chesapeake, Virginia. It was a childhood full of books as his mother was an educator and his father a book publisher and scholar of quite some renown.
He did his premedical studies at Virginia Tech and then studied writing under Nikki Giovanni, the award-winning poet. His earliest exploits in literature was when he produced the 1994 published “The Flow” as an editor.
He would also become the president and founder of “BlackWords Press,” which operated between 1995 and 2005. He launched the Versify Imprint working with Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, under which he published several children’s fiction.
For several years, he was the producer of an annual book festival targeted at a wide range of readers and writers. As a lover of poetry, he also lived for a time in Virginia, where he was poet in residence at several schools.
Alexander Kwame is best known as an educator, poet, and New York Times bestselling author of more than twenty novels including the Newbery winning John Newbery Medal.
He won the latter for a distinguished contribution to children’s literature. He also won sevenral other awards that included the Passaic Poetry Prize, the King Author Coretta Scott Award, the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, and the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award.
Even though he is better known as a children’s fiction author, he has asserted that he writes for children of all ages as evidenced by the young adult novel “He Said She Said” and the middle grade novel “Booked.”
According to Kwame, poetry is a potent force for changing the world. As such, he makes use of the genre to empower and inspire children and young people through his Scholastic released “Page to Stage Publishing and Writing Program.”
Kwame is also a regular speaker at conferences and colleges across the United States, even as he travels across the globe spreading literary love in the likes of Shanghai, Singapore, France and Brazil.
He recently led a delegation of 20 activists and writers to Ghana, where they built a library, delivered books and taught literature to more than 300 teachers.
Over the years, he has also been involved in the writing of works that explain the technical aspects of authorship. Some of these include the 2018 published “In The Write Thing,” and the 2002 published “Do the Write Thing.”
Apart from his writing, he has also been involved in community based activities such as a non profit educational literacy service known as “Book in a Day.” The organization was founded to promote the writing and reading skills of children by encouraging them to write and publish poetry.
Given how much work he has done, “The Charleston City Paper” named him a phenomenon in the poetry world. He has also written scripts for the stage and television, and been the producer of several book festivals such as “The Washington Post” presented the “Capital BookFest.”
A collection of his correspondence, personal and professional documents and his writings known as the “Kwame Alexander Papers” are displayed at the Gelman Library at the George Washington University.
In “The Crossover,” the bestselling novel by Kwame Alexander, the author combines beautiful poetry with lyrical prose to tell the story of Josh and Jordan Bell who are thirteen year old basketball players. He makes use of basketball as a representation of life, as he imparts life lessons to middle grade learners in a non threatening way.
Jordan and Josh Bell are phenomenal sons of Chuck Bell, who had been a superstar player and Crystal Bell a junior high school principal. Josh is better in his studies and has aspirations of attending Duke, while Jordan wishes to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan and go to North Carolina to become a shooting guard.
Alexander Kwame tells of their exploits off and on the court through onomatopoeic poetry, which portrays basketball as an art form. In addition to playing basketball, the teenagers also experience teenage angst, as Alexis who becomes JB’s new girlfriend causes a huge rift between the brothers.
Nonetheless, their parents impart some vital life lessons that Kwame impairs to the reader through vocabulary words and basketball lessons. The author writes an entertaining story for middle grade learners, as he evokes past and current basketball stars, even as he managed to make for an entertaining story.
Kwame Alexander’s novel “Booked,” follows on from the heels of his debut, as he once again tells a poetic sports tale in the backdrop of teenage angst.
The lead in this work is a soccer player and gifted student Nick Hall who is dealing with the recent divorce of his parents. Nicholas Hall is introduced as a thirteen year old phenomenon in the classroom and soccer field.
Together with Coby, his best friend, he navigates a range of eight grade issues from asking a cute girl to homecoming to bullying.
In the meantime, his parents are getting a divorce as they had let their marriage rot by spending too much time at work. The situation at home is getting to Nick and Alexander explores these issues in the usual lyrical prose and onomatopoeic poetry.
The exchanges between the parents and the teenagers are in the form of asides and rap, instead of traditional dialogue, which makes it a lot of fun. Unlike in Crossover, sports takes a backseat in this work as Nick has many other facets to his life.
“Rebound,” by Kwame Alexander is a novel set in 1988, where Chuck Bell is an OK student in high school.
He was looking forward to having a good time hiking the national parks with his father when a brain hemorrhage killed him. The tragedy hits him hard and his interest in basketball and school suffers.
The only thing he can do is read comic books. He was looking forward to reading comic books in the summer when his mother says that he will be sent to his grandfather’s place for the holidays.
Percy, his grandfather and Alice, his grandmother, are wholesome characters that help him get his head straight. It is a family that has been playing basketball for generations and Alex gets to meetin Roxie, his cousin who is a phenomenon in his own right.
Full of pop culture references, poetry and empathetic characters it is an easy and fun read for young adult readers.
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