40 Fun Facts About The Crossover

In The Crossover, which nickname does Josh Bell take from a jazz tune his dad dedicates to him?

Filthy McNasty was a name Josh disliked at first, until his dad began screaming it in praise whenever he scored.

Kwame Alexander's The Crossover tells Josh Bell's whole basketball story in which literary form?

Verse lets the type itself play: during Josh's play-by-plays the words grow, shrink and slide diagonally across the page.

In The Crossover, what job does the mother of twins Josh and JB hold at their own middle school?

Assistant principal is her job, so Josh lands in his own mother's office when a teacher catches him passing a note during a test.

In The Crossover, which NBA legend is on JB's bedsheets, cups, sunglasses and even his toothbrush?

Michael Jordan is JB's not-so-secret hero: he owns twelve pairs of the star's sneakers and spent $50 won in a bet on that toothbrush.

In The Crossover, what nickname does Josh give Alexis, the new girl who becomes JB's girlfriend?

Miss Sweet Tea is all Josh calls her until the last pages, when she phones after his dad's funeral and he finally uses her real name.

In The Crossover, which inherited condition leads Josh's mom to take the salt off the dinner table?

Hypertension is one of the words Josh defines for himself, noting that it runs in families and that too much salt can cause it.

In The Crossover, which keepsake of their late dad's does JB hand to Josh in the closing scene?

His championship ring was something Dad had said Josh could wear only once he had earned his father's old nickname.

In The Crossover, where does Chuck Bell take his sons for doughnuts that their mother has banned?

Krispy Kreme is where he eats three doughnuts, insists Mom will never know, and retells his favorite story of teaching the twins to play.

In The Crossover, which feat can Josh alone among his middle school teammates pull off on court?

A slam dunk is beyond JB, who tries and fails at the end of warm-ups while Josh, nearly six feet tall at twelve, shows him how.

In The Crossover, how does Josh's mom punish him for hurling a ball into JB's face?

A suspension from the team keeps Josh off the court for weeks, and his mom warns him that boys without self-control end up in jail.

In The Crossover, which college, attended by Alexis's sister, does Josh dream of playing for?

Duke University is Josh's goal, while his twin JB has his heart set on playing for the University of North Carolina.

In The Crossover, which nickname did Chuck Bell earn as a professional basketball player overseas?

Da Man, he tells Josh, came from never losing, having the best moves and being popular with the ladies.

In The Crossover, which gym class lesson does Josh put to use when his dad collapses on court?

CPR compressions were a lesson Josh barely followed, too busy watching JB and Alexis pass notes, yet his dad later says they saved him.

At the end of The Crossover, what is Josh shooting as he chases his dad's record of fifty in a row?

Free throws close the story: one short of fifty, Josh hands the ball to JB so that his twin can take the final shot.

In The Crossover, on which day does Chuck Bell wake from his coma and high-five JB?

Christmas Eve brings him back, and the next day relatives from five different states crowd into his room to celebrate.

In The Crossover, Josh grows locks after an old clip shows his dad's own looking like what?

Wings is how they looked as his dad rose toward the rim, and Josh decided he needed a pair of his own so that he could fly too.

Which American Library Association award for children's literature did The Crossover win in 2015?

Newbery Medal winners are picked by a fifteen-person committee, and the prize is named for an 18th-century English publisher of children's books.

Which streaming service released a 2023 drama series based on the novel The Crossover?

Disney+ put every episode up at once on April 5, 2023, nine years after the novel first reached bookshops.

In The Crossover, why does Coach bench Josh for the first half of the game in which he hurts JB?

He arrived late because police pulled his dad over on the drive to the gym, an excuse Coach refused to hear.

In The Crossover, which vocabulary word does Josh's mom use after JB cuts five locks instead of one?

Calamity is her verdict on the bald patch, and she sends Josh to the barber to have every remaining lock cut off as well.

Which jazz pianist recorded the tune that gives Josh Bell his nickname in The Crossover?

Horace Silver, a pioneer of hard bop, is a favorite of Josh's dad, who dedicated the tune to his unimpressed son.

In The Crossover, which homework vocabulary word does Josh use when asked his opinion of Alexis?

Pulchritudinous, meaning strikingly beautiful, returns weeks later when JB says it at dinner, his first friendly signal to Josh in fifteen days.

In The Crossover, which knee injury ended Chuck Bell's playing career after he refused surgery?

Patellar tendinitis, better known as jumper's knee, comes to light when the twins open a box of keepsakes in their parents' closet.

In The Crossover, which NBA team's tryout invitation do the twins find hidden in their dad's closet?

The Lakers stayed his favorite team, and a second letter in the same hiding place warned that without knee surgery he might never play again.

In The Crossover, by what team name are Josh, JB and their Reggie Lewis teammates known?

Wildcats is the name, and the team reels off ten wins in a row on its way to a first county championship.

In The Crossover, which Lois Lowry novel is Josh fetching when he sees JB kissing Alexis?

The Giver is the subject of a report Josh has to write, and he needs the library's copy only because JB has taken his.

In The Crossover, which honor does the Daily News give Josh in an article about a win led by JB?

Most Valuable Player delights most of his classmates, but Alexis tells Josh he does not deserve it after what he did to JB.

In The Crossover, which medical term does a doctor use for what puts Chuck Bell in a coma?

Myocardial infarction means blood flow to part of the heart is blocked, and JB reacts by saying he now hates basketball.

In The Crossover, which line dance do Josh, JB and Vondie do at halftime to Coach's favorite music?

The Cha-Cha Slide breaks out with the team trailing by seven points and Coach not worried in the least.

In The Crossover, which classic book does Coach read aloud from to open a team practice?

The Art of War supplies the day's lesson: a winning strategy is about responding quickly, not about planning.

In The Crossover, what past event explains why Chuck Bell refuses to trust doctors?

His father died in hospital at just 45 after putting his faith in doctors, so Chuck Bell reads medical websites instead of making an appointment.

In The Crossover, what happens right after Chuck Bell races courtside to yell at a referee?

His nose starts bleeding as his wife leads him back up the bleachers, and the next morning she orders him to call a doctor or else.

In The Crossover, whose dreadful cooking leaves the Bell family eating only salad at Thanksgiving?

Uncle Bob fancies himself a chef because he watches cooking shows, and he takes over the kitchen after Grandma has a fall.

Which prequel to The Crossover follows a young Chuck Bell through the summer of 1988?

Rebound, published in 2018, sends a grieving Chuck to his grandparents for the summer, where his cousin Roxie outplays him on the court.

Which star of the musical Hamilton narrates the TV adaptation of The Crossover?

Daveed Diggs, the original Lafayette and Jefferson on Broadway, was cast as the show's narrator in February 2022.

In The Crossover, which banned restaurant would Josh have picked for the family's monthly meal out?

Pollard's, a chicken and barbecue spot, is off limits, so the family ends up at a Chinese buffet chosen by his dad.

Which award-winning writer taught a class at Virginia Tech to the future author of The Crossover?

Nikki Giovanni's class came after Kwame Alexander had begun premedical studies there, a path he left behind for writing.

The Crossover was named an Honor book for which prize recognizing African American authors?

Coretta Scott King Award honors, presented each year through the American Library Association, go to illustrators as well as authors.

In The Crossover, in which European country did Chuck Bell captain a winning professional team?

Italy is named in his newspaper obituary, which also remembers him for the signature move that gives the story its title.

In The Crossover, which vocabulary word does Josh recall his dad using about Stephon Marbury?

Churlish was his dad's reason for refusing to buy Marbury's sneakers, and Mom later uses the same word about Josh himself.