The Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children's literature was announced this morning.
The 2015 Medal goes to The Crossover by Kwame Alexander. I'm really looking forward to reading it!
The story is about twelve-year old Josh, his twin brother, Jordan, and their exploits on the basketball court. A new girl, a budding romance, a brother relationship, and a family's bonds are all part of this novel chosen as best of the year.
The Crossover is written in verse.
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.
Have you tried writing a story in poetry form? It's challenging, but it can also be a huge reward for your reader.
For a fun exercise, take a page of your prose writing, and turn it into poetry, verse, or rap--it doesn't matter what you call it.
The verse doesn't have to rhyme. How do you like it? Do you want to continue in verse?
And don't forget to put The Crossover on your "to read" list.
