The Crossover

Fiction | Novel/Book in Verse | Middle Grade | Published in 2014

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Quiz

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Crossover

Chuck Bell was known for his crossover during his basketball career, and it earned him the nickname “Da Man.” People on the street know about his crossover, ESPN analysts talk about his crossover, and Josh practices daily to try and develop his crossover to be more like his dad’s. When Josh uses his crossover in a game, it is almost always to the benefit of the team, either opening up a shot for him to take or making room to pass to a teammate for them to complete the shot. The only person Josh’s crossover does not work on is his dad when Josh tries it while playing one-on-one at the rec center. This moment precedes his father’s first collapse, and Josh cannot help but blame himself: if his crossover had been better, his father wouldn’t have been able to steal the ball and attempt to dunk. The final image of the book is a basketball arching over the twins and the sense that their father, who has now crossed over, watches them from the skies.

Dreadlocks

Josh connects much of his confidence to his hair. He wears dreadlocks in large part because his father wore dreadlocks when he played basketball. Josh remembers watching his dad dunk on replays on TV and thinks that his hair looked like wings carrying him to the basketball hoop. As the only player on the team who can dunk, Josh feels his own magical wings as he flies through the air to the net. JB knows how much his brother’s hair means to him and he bets Josh that he’ll score the game-winning shot. If Josh loses, JB gets to cut one strand of his hair. The bet goes awry, and JB cuts five locs instead, causing Josh to have to shave his head. Josh keeps his locs in a box under his bed, and when he is troubled, he reaches in and counts them to find comfort. With both brothers having short hair, JB and Josh look identical. Josh’s hair defines his confidence and his identity, and when he loses his locs, he loses a bit of both.

Health and Food

Crystal dedicates herself to having her family eat healthily. She knew and loved Chuck’s father and wants to do anything in her power to keep Chuck from suffering the same fate of early death. Chuck circumvents Crystal’s attempts by taking the boys to get doughnuts or fried chicken after practice, a move the brothers support until Crystal solicits Josh’s help in avoiding the junk food.

For Thanksgiving, the family eats salad, but not necessarily inspired by Chuck’s health. Chuck’s mom, who usually makes a big, delicious dinner, fell and is unable to cook this year. An uncle takes over but does not cook well, so everyone ends up eating salad. The experience is a foil for Chuck’s declining health in relation to food; the worse he gets, the better he should eat, but doesn’t. Even when he’s in the hospital during the holiday, family members visit Chuck and bring collard greens, yams, and pound cake. Wanting Chuck to eat healthily is an uphill battle for Crystal, and coupled with Chuck’s distrust of doctors, his health ends up in dire jeopardy.