Rebound

Rebound

by Kwame Alexander
Rebound
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Overview

Rebound by Kwame Alexander

From the New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound, a dynamic novel in verse and companion to his Newbery Award-winner, The Crossover, illustrated with striking graphic novel panels.

Before Josh and Jordan Bell were streaking up and down the court, their father was learning his own moves. In this prequel to Newbery Medal winner The Crossover, Chuck Bell takes center stage, as readers get a glimpse of his childhood and how he became the jazz music worshiping, basketball star his sons look up to.   

A novel in verse with all the impact and rhythm readers have come to expect from Kwame Alexander, Rebound will go back in time to visit the childhood of Chuck "Da Man" Bell during one pivotal summer when young Charlie is sent to stay with his grandparents where he discovers basketball and learns more about his family's past.  

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780544868137
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication date: 04/02/2018
Series: Kwame Alexander's Crossover Series
Pages: 416
Sales rank: 224
Product dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.40(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range: 10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times bestselling author of 28 books, including Rebound, the prequel to his Newbery-medal winning middle grade novel, The Crossover. Other works include Booked, a National Book Award nominee; The Playbook: 52 Rules to Help You Aim, Shoot, and Score in this Game of Life; and picture books Out of Wonder, Surf’s Up, and The Undefeated. The 2018 NEA Read Across America Ambassador, Kwame is also the host and producer of the literary variety/talk show, Bookish, which airs on Facebook Watch, the cofounding director of the LEAP for Ghana initiative, and the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers. The recipient of the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award, Kwame lives with his family in Virginia.

www.kwamealexander.com
Twitter: @kwamealexander
Instagram: @kwamealexander
 

Read an Excerpt

May 28, 1988

The game is on
at the park.
The stars are out.
It’s close to dark.
Hoop Kings
SOARing
         in the SKY
         so high
         so fly
like they Got Wings
(it’s like the blacktop
is a boxSPRING )
Hey, Charlie, you see what he did with that THING!
my best friend, Skinny, yells
T
   W
       I
          R
              L
                  I
                     N
                         G andWHIRLINGthe ball
                  so sweet
it’s like a bee s t i n g
(Ouch!)
He just Swished
in your Face.
Stung you like
a can of mace
These boys so fly
they’re outta SPACE!

C’mon, Charlie, I got next. Let’s hoop, Skinny says,
jumping up from the sidewalk.
Nah, I gotta get home for dinner, I lie.

I used to play H.O.R.S.E.

against my father, and sometimes I
won, but when I tried playing on
a team, I’d get too nervous
to shoot, too scared of the
ball (like the time I
missed a pass and
got hit up-
side the
head).

Sometimes, I wish

I was a superhero,
superfly
like Quicksilver
speed-racing
down the court
sleek as a sports car
faster than NASCAR,
leaving all my sadness
in the dust—far,
far away
from now.

Wish I could soar
score
throw down
a monster dunk
like I was Thor.

Wish I could elevate
my name
with game so good
it’s hall of fame!

Wish I could forget
all the pain.

Yeah, that’s what I wish . . .

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Rebound 5 out of 5 based on 0 ratings. 3 reviews.
Take_Me_AwayPH 19 days ago
For someone who doesn't really like poetry, I've been reading an awful lot of it this year. And this is definitely one I'm glad I picked up. I will definitely have to pick up the rest of the series! Josh and Jordana Bell have been balling, but before them, there was their father. This is their father's story, told in the same poetic fashion as their stories. This book is interesting to me because it's set in 1988. It was so cool to read some of the things that were happening in that time period. I also really loved seeing some of the things that I recognozed now that were popular even then, like Now & Laters and the Harlem Globetrotters. It's so cool to see what things have lasted the span of time. I also really liked the mix between comics and poetry. And the poetry that was put into the comics was SO. DOPE. While reading, I could hear myself making it into a song in my head. I put it against an old school sounding beat and it made it so much better. I liked the entire book, but I really wish there were more comic style pages. I really loved the storytelling. One of the main reasons I don't like novels in verse, is I feel like a lot of the story gets missed because the author is trying to keep the poem's form. This book isn't like that. It tells the entire story and even for those like me who haven't read Crossover and Booked, it was still easy to follow along and get the full impact of the story. This isn't my normal read, but I can see myself reading everything else that has Alexander's name on it. The mix of comics, basketball, and diverse reads definitely overrpowers my dislike for novels in verse lol
Anonymous 8 months ago
Anonymous 9 months ago
My 9 year old LOVED this book.