Kwame Alexander

Shortlisted for the Books Are My Bag 2020 Readers Awards The Crossover takes you on a riveting journey with twelve-year-old Josh Bell, who raps, "With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . . The court is SIZZLING. My sweat is DRIZZLING. Stop all that quivering. 'Cuz tonight I'm delivering." Thanks to their dad, Josh and his twin brother,...

With a bolt of lightning on my kicks...The court is SIZZLING.My sweat is DRIZZLING.Stop all that quivering.Cuz tonight I'm delivering Twelve-year-old Josh and his twin Jordan have basketball in their blood. They're kings of the court, star players for their school team. Their father used to be a champion player, and they each want nothing more than to follow in...

Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can't nobody stop you/can't nobody cop you... Twelve-year-old Nick is a football-mad boy who absolutely hates books. In this follow-up to the Newbery-winning novel The Crossover, football, family, love, and friendship take centre stage as Nick tries to figure out how to navigate his parents'...

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CARNEGIE MEDAL and the CLIPPA 'Hoop kings SOAR in kicks with wings. Game so sweet it's like bee stings.' It's 1988. Charlie Bell is still mourning his father and struggling to figure out how he feels for his best (girl) friend, CJ. When he gets into trouble one too many times, he's packed off to stay with...

The #1 New York Times bestseller Shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing "At once vivid and simple, lyrical and surgical, expressive and exacting" — Lupita Nyong'o Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has dreams of water, of its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets. He has heard the call on the banks of...

Set during the turbulent segregation era, Kwame Alexander weaves a spellbinding story of struggle, determination, and the unflappable faith of an American family. Twelve-year-old Charley is set on becoming the first female pitcher to play professional baseball, even if that’s a lofty dream for a Black girl in the American South in the 1920s. Even so, her grandfather Kofi’s thrilling...

Like lightning/you strike/fast and free/legs zoom/down field/eyes fixed/on the checkered ball/on the goal/ten yards to go/can’t nobody stop you/can’t nobody cop you… Twelve-year-old Nick is a football-mad boy who absolutely hates books. In this graphic novel adaptation of the acclaimed verse novel, football, family, love, and friendship take centre stage as Nick tries to figure out how to navigate his...

The Door of No Return, a #1 New York Times bestseller, was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Writing. 'At once vivid and simple, lyrical and surgical, expressive and exacting' – Lupita Nyong'o Dreams are today’s answers for tomorrow’s questions. Eleven-year-old Kofi Offin has dreams of water, of its urgent whisper that beckons with promises and secrets. He has heard...

This third book by the team that created the New York Times bestselling How to Read a Book and How to Write a Poem celebrates the magic of listening to the song that echoes inside you, and letting your music ring out. Hush. Now, turn up your ears and listen to the concert happening all around you. As this quiet...

How do you tell a story that starts in Africa and ends in horror? About strength and pride and refusing to be broken? One that still hurts and still loves?A powerfully moving, poetic exploration of the story of slavery: from Africa to the tall ships, from back-breaking work in a strange land to resilience and eventual emancipation, Kwame Alexander tells...

Two literary heavy-hitters deliver a knockout critically acclaimed, bestselling biographical novel of cultural icon Muhammad Ali. ★ "Utterly delightful...a smash hit."―School Library Journal (starred review) ★ "A knockout!"―Booklist (starred review) ★ "Stellar"―Kirkus Reviews (starred review) ★ "Two heavyweights in the world of books unite."―The Horn Book (starred review) ★ "Powerful."―Publishers Weekly (starred review) Before he was a household name, Cassius...

Created by real-life rivals and #1 New York Times bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Jerry Craft, this hilarious illustrated story features two talented fifth graders going head-to-head in a competition for the ages. J vs. K introduces J and K, the most creative fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School (DAPS). J loves to draw, and his wordless stories are...

In this comprehensive and vibrant poetry anthology, bestselling author and poet Kwame Alexander curates a collection of anthems for our time, at turns tender and piercing, and deeply inspiring throughout. Featuring work from well-loved poets such as Claudia Rankine, Ross Gay, Jericho Brown, Warsan Shire, Amanda Gorman, Terrance Hayes, and Nikki Giovanni, This Is the Honey is a rich and...

A companion to the Newbery Medal-winning middle grade novel The Crossover, the basis of the show streaming on Disney+! What can we imagine for our lives? What if we were the star players, moving and grooving through the game of life? What if we had our own rules of the game to help us get what we want, what we...

In this evocative and playful companion to their New York Times bestselling picture book How to Read a Book, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander teams up with poet Deanna Nikaido and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet to celebrate the magic of discovering your very own poetry in the world around you. Begin with a question like an acorn waiting for spring. From...

"A must read" - Marcus Rashford MBE. A New York Times Bestseller. From two heavy-hitters in children's literature comes a biographical novel of seismic cultural importance... Before he was a household name, Cassius Clay was a kid with struggles like any other. Kwame Alexander and James Patterson join forces to vividly depict his life up to age seventeen in both...

Incredible stories. Award-winning storytellers. Epic adventure, mystery, and fun? We've got it all in Ghostwriter - the extraordinary new series from the Emmy-award-winning hit Apple TV+ show, created by your friends at Sesame Workshop. From the Newbery-Medal winning author of The Crossover and The Undefeated comes an exciting, interactive poetry notebook, empowering kids to express themselves in verse. Discover the...