BOLD! EXPLOSIVE! . . . I LOVE THE CROSSOVER. EVERYONE WILL.

NIKKI GIOVANNI

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QU IZZLING S
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CROSSOVER THE

BY
Kwame Alexander
 $16.99 / higher in canada

A bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .

The court is SIZZLING.
My sweat is DRIZZLING.
Stop all that quivering.
Cuz tonight Im delivering,
raps basketball phenom Josh Bell. Thanks
to his dad, he and his twin brother, Jordan,
are kings on the court, with crossovers that
make even the toughest ballers cry. But Josh
has more than hoops in his blood. Hes got a
river of rhymes flowing through hima sick
flow that helps him find his rhythm when
everythings on the line.
As their winning season unfolds, things
begin to change. When Jordan meets the new
girl in school, the twins tight-knit bond un-
ravels. In this heartfelt novel, basketball and
brotherhood intertwine to show
Josh and Jordan that life
doesnt come with a play-
book and, sometimes,
its not about winning.
CROSSOVER
THE

BY
Kwame Alexander

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Boston New York
 For Big Al and Barbara,
also known as Mom and Dad

Copyright 2014 by Kwame Alexander

All rights reserved. For information about permission to reproduce selections from
this book, write to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company,
215 Park Avenue South, New York, New York 10003.

www.hmhco.com

The text of this books is set in Adobe Garamond Pro

Book design by Susanna Vagt

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file.

Manufactured in the United States of America

DOC 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
45XXXXXXXX
WARM-UP
Dribbling
At the top of the key, Im
MOVING & GROOVING,
POPping and ROCKING
Why you BUMPING?
Why you LOCKING?
Man, take this THUMPING.
Be careful though,
cause now Im CRUNKing
CrissCROSSING
FLOSSING
flipping
3
and my dipping will leave you
S
L
I
P
P
I
N
G on the floor, while I
SWOOP in
to the finish with a fierce finger roll . . .
Straight in the hole:
Swoooooooooooosh.
 Josh Bell
is my name.
But Filthy McNasty is my claim to fame.
Folks call me that
cause my games acclaimed,
so downright dirty, itll put you to shame.
My hair is long, my heights tall.
See, Im the next Kevin Durant,
LeBron, and Chris Paul.

Remember the greats,

4 my dad likes to gloat:
I balled with Magic and the Goat.
But tricks are for kids, I reply.
Dont need your pets
my games so
fly.

Mom says,
Your dads old school,
like an ol Chevette.
Youre fresh and new,
like a red Corvette.
Your game so sweet, its a crpes suzette.
Each time you play
its ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLL net.
If anyone else called me
fresh and sweet,
Id burn mad as a flame.
But I know shes only talking about my game.
See, when I play ball,
Im on fire.
When I shoot,
I inspire.
The hoops for sale,
and Im the buyer.

5
 How I Got My Nickname
Im not that big on jazz music, but Dad is.
One day we were listening to a CD
of a musician named Horace Silver, and Dad says,

Josh, this cat is the real deal.

Listen to that piano, fast and free,
Just like you and JB on the court.

Its okay, I guess, Dad.

Okay? DID YOU SAY OKAY?
6 Boy, you better recognize

greatness when you hear it.

Horace Silver is one of the hippest.
If you shoot half as good as he jams

Dad, no one says hippest anymore.

Well, they ought to, cause this cat
is so hip, when he sits down hes still standing, he says.

Real funny, Dad.

You know what, Josh?
What, Dad?
Im dedicating this next song to you.
Whats the next song?
Only the best song,
the funkiest song
on Silvers Paris Blues album:
FILTHY
McNASTY.

7
 At rst
I didnt like
the name
because so many kids
made fun of me
on the school bus,
at lunch, in the bathroom.
Even Mom had jokes.

It fits you perfectly, Josh, she said:

You never clean your closet, and
8 that bed of yours is always filled
with cookie crumbs and candy wrappers.
Its just plain nasty, son.

But, as I got older

and started getting game,
the name took on a new meaning.
And even though I wasnt into
all that jazz,
every time Id score,
rebound,
or steal a ball,
Dad would jump up
smiling and screamin,
Thats my boy out there.
Keep it funky, Filthy!

And that made me feel

real good
about my nickname.

9
 Filthy McNasty
is a MYTHical MANchild
Of rather dubious distinction
Always AGITATING
COMBINATING
and ELEVATING his game
He dribbles
fakes
then takes
the ROCK to the
glass, fast, and on BLAST
10 But watch out when he shoots
or youll get SCHOOLed
FOOLed
UNCOOLed
Cause when FILTHY gets hot
He has a SLAMMERIFIC SHOT
Its
Dunkalicious CLASSY
Supersonic SASSY
and D
O
W
N right
in your face
mcNASTY