BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Josh Bell, who goes by the nickname Filthy McNasty, is one half of a twin-brother basketball duo at Reggie Lewis Junior High. He and his brother Jordan (JB) are the stars of the undefeated Wildcats, sons of Chuck "Da Man" Bell, a former Euroleague champion who gave up his career due to a knee injury and now coaches from the sidelines of their lives. When JB starts spending all his time with a new girl named Alexis, Josh begins to feel like his brother is drifting away, and his frustration builds just as unsettling signs about his father's health start adding up.
Free Battle of the Books questions for The Crossover
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about The Crossover. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a brother grab red scissors from a coach's desk to cut his twin's hair?
✓ Answer
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
After winning the bet, JB waves the scissors like a flag while teammates chant. What should have been one snip turns into a disaster when he gets too playful.
- First half
In what book does a player botch two free throws and announce "Houston, we have a problem"?
✓ Answer
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
In a play-by-play poem against the Red Rockets, Josh clanks his free throws but saves the game with a chase-down block and a dunk. Free throws are his weak spot all season.
- First half
In what book does a boy get caught passing a love note during a vocabulary test?
✓ Answer
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Josh delivers JB's note and gets caught by the teacher. He takes the blame to protect his brother, even though it lands him in big trouble with his principal mom.
- Second half
In what book does an offered glass of orange soda warn a boy he is in big trouble?
✓ Answer
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Mom never lets the boys drink soda, so when she suddenly offers Josh a tall glass of it and a sandwich, he knows a serious talk is coming. She even says the meal may be his last, hinting at the punishment ahead in The Crossover.
- Second half
In what book does a furious father in the top bleacher row act like a personal rainstorm?
✓ Answer
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
From the highest seats Dad rages at every bad call, and Josh describes him as raining while Mom pops up like an umbrella to settle him. The whole scene is told through weather images in The Crossover.
- Near the end
In what book does an angry boy list reasons starting "Because Dad tried to dunk"?
✓ Answer
The Crossover by Kwame Alexander
Josh answers his mother's question with a long list of everything fueling his anger, from missing the championship to feeling alone. The raw list shows just how overwhelmed he is in The Crossover.
