Kwame Alexander
Kwame Alexander is a poet, children's author, playwright, producer, performer, and winner of the Newbery Medal for his novel-in-verse, The Crossover, and shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal with Rebound. He conducts creative writing workshops in middle and high schools, often reaching more than five hundred students monthly. He lives with his wife and two daughters in the Washington, D.C. area.
Books
Becoming Muhammad Ali
Author: Kwame Alexander and James Patterson
Publisher: Jacaranda Books
Interest age: 10-13
Reading age: 10+
Before he was three-time world heavyweight boxing champion and hailed as one of the greatest boxers of all time, Muhammad Ali was a kid called Cassius Clay; a fast talker with fast feet and big dreams.
Written mostly in verse, this is an insightful and inspiring retelling of Ali’s teenage years.
Growing up in segregated Louisville, Kentucky, in the 1950s, Ca…
Booked
Author: Kwame Alexander
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 12-16
Reading age: 12+
From fast-paced football matches to school and family drama, this novel written in verse has something for everyone and will grip reluctant readers from page one.
Rebound
Author: Kwame Alexander
Publisher: Andersen
Interest age: 10-12+
Reading age: 10+
It’s 1988 and Charlie Bell is 12 and going through the hardest time in his life. But while staying with his grandparents, he is introduced to basketball and jazz – and everything changes. Rebound is funny, moving and almost impossible not to read in one sitting.
The Crossover
Author: Kwame Alexander
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 10-14
Reading age: 9+
Dynamically-illustrated graphic novel version of a bestselling, award-winning story of twin basketball players and their coming-of-age.
The Crossover: Graphic Novel
Author: Kwame Alexander Illustrator: Dawud Anyabwile
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 10-14
Reading age: 9+
Dynamically-illustrated graphic novel version of a bestselling, award-winning story of twin basketball players and their coming-of-age.
The Door of No Return
Author: Kwame Alexander
Publisher: Andersen Press
Interest age: 12-14
Reading age: 12+
In nineteenth-century Ghana, Kofi loves swimming and wants to talk to the beautiful Ama. But he has to fight for his life after a sudden death occurs. A deeply compelling, vital read.