Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Newbery Award Winner Kwame Alexander on “The Crossover”

Poet and author Kwame Alexander won the highest award yesterday for children’s literature, the Newbery Medal. It’s for his novel The Crossover, about a pair of 12-year-old, African-American, basketball-playing twin brothers. It’s a coming-of-age story, but with a modern and serious twist.

By Madeleine Brand • Feb 3, 2015 • 1 min read

Poet and author Kwame Alexander won the highest award yesterday for children’s literature, the Newbery Medal. It’s for his novel The Crossover, about a pair of 12-year-old, African-American, basketball-playing twin brothers. It’s a coming-of-age story, but with a modern and serious twist. Alexander joins us to talk about why he decided to write the story entirely in verse, his inspirations, and why he was shocked to get the Newbery.

Madeleine Brand
Host, 'Press Play'
Andrew Walsh
Too Beautiful to Live
Christian Bordal
Managing Producer, Greater LA
Matt Holzman
Producer, 'The Document'
Kwame Alexander
Author of "The Crossover"

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Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Newbery Award Winner Kwame Alexander on “The Crossover”

Poet and author Kwame Alexander won the highest award yesterday for children’s literature, the Newbery Medal. It’s for his novel The Crossover, about a pair of 12-year-old, African-American, basketball-playing twin brothers. It’s a coming-of-age story, but with a modern and serious twist.

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Press Play with Madeleine Brand

Newbery Award Winner Kwame Alexander on “The Crossover”

Poet and author Kwame Alexander won the highest award yesterday for children’s literature, the Newbery Medal. It’s for his novel The Crossover, about a pair of 12-year-old, African-American, basketball-playing twin brothers. It’s a coming-of-age story, but with a modern and serious twist.

Share