Kwame Alexander – författare

A million copies sold‘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’12-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 his footsteps.Both on and off the court, there is conflict and hardship which will test Josh’s bond with his brother. In this heartfelt novel in verse, the boys find that life doesn’t come with a play-book and it's not all about winning.

Sparks will fly in this hip-hop-hot teen novel that mixes social protest and star-crossed romance, from Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Honor–winning author Kwame Alexander! He Said, She Said is perfect for fans of Walter Dean Myers and Rachel Vail alike. This paperback edition includes a Q&A with author Kwame Alexander.He says: Omar "T-Diddy" Smalls has got it made—a full football ride to UMiami, hero-worship status at school, and pick of any girl at West Charleston High. She says: Football, shmootball. Here's what Claudia Clarke cares about: Harvard, the poor, the disenfranchised, the hungry, the staggering teen pregnancy rate, investigative journalism . . . the list goes on. She does not have a minute to waste on Mr. T-Diddy Smalls and his harem of bimbos.He Said, She Said is a fun and fresh novel from Kwame Alexander that throws these two high school seniors together when they unexpectedly end up leading the biggest social protest this side of the Mississippi—with a lot of help from Facebook and Twitter. The stakes are high, the romance is hot, and when these worlds collide, watch out!Dual POV: He says, she says. Get both sides of the story as Omar, the star quarterback, and Claudia, the driven activist, tell it like it is.High School Romance: He has his pick of any girl at West Charleston High. She thinks he and his "harem of bimbos" are a waste of time. When they’re forced to work together, sparks are guaranteed to fly.Jock and Activist: All he cares about is his football ride to UMiami. All she cares about is getting into Harvard and changing the world. Neither of them expected to fall for the opposition.Social Justice for Teens: A school budget cut brings these two unlikely leaders together to spearhead the biggest social protest this side of the Mississippi, all with a lot of help from Facebook and Twitter.

A stunning new picture book from Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet! This New York Times bestselling duo has teamed up for the first time to bring you How to Read a Book, a poetic and beautiful journey about the experience of reading.Find a tree—ablack tupelo ordawn redwood will do—andplant yourself.(It’s okay if you prefer a stoop, like Langston Hughes.)With these words, an adventure begins. Kwame Alexander’s evocative poetry and Melissa Sweet’s lush artwork come together to take readers on a sensory journey between the pages of a book.How to Read a Book has received three starred reviews!

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 questionlike an acornwaiting for spring. From this first stanza, readers are invited to pay attention—and to see that paying attention itself is poetry. Kwame Alexander and Deanna Nikaido’s playful text and Melissa Sweet’s dynamic, inventive artwork are paired together to encourage readers to listen, feel, and discover the words that dance in the world around them—poems just waiting to be written down.

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 overture builds to a full symphony, Newbery Medalist Kwame Alexander and singer-songwriter Randy Preston conduct a melody of a poem. Colorful notes are played by Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet’s distinctive artwork.Surrounded by nature’s chorus and guided by words that vibrate like thunder, let the groove lead you on, until you can’t help but sing out from your soul!How to Read a Book was an American Library Association Notable Book and was named a best book of the year by School Library Journal, Kirkus, and The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books. How to Write a Poem was a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year.

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 aspire to, what will enrich our lives?Illustrated with photographs by Thai Neave, The Playbook is intended to provide inspiration on the court of life. Each rule contains wisdom from inspiring athletes and role models such as Nelson Mandela, Serena Williams, LeBron James, Carli Lloyd, Steph Curry, and Michelle Obama. Kwame Alexander also shares his own stories of overcoming obstacles and winning games in this motivational and inspirational book for readers of any age and for anyone needing a little bit of encouragement.You gotta know the rules to play the game. Ball is life. Take it to the hoop. Soar.

Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess is a New York Times bestseller! Kirkus Reviews said Solo is, “A contemporary hero’s journey, brilliantly told.” Through the story of a young Black man searching for answers about his life, Solo empowers, engages, and encourages teenagers to move from heartache to healing, burden to blessings, depression to deliverance, and trials to triumphs.Blade never asked for a life of the rich and famous. In fact, he’d give anything not to be the son of Rutherford Morrison, a washed-up rock star and drug addict with delusions of a comeback. Or to no longer be part of a family known most for lost potential, failure, and tragedy, including the loss of his mother. The one true light is his girlfriend, Chapel, but her parents have forbidden their relationship, assuming Blade will become just like his father.In reality, the only thing Blade and Rutherford have in common is the music that lives inside them. And songwriting is all Blade has left after Rutherford, while drunk, crashes his high school graduation speech and effectively rips Chapel away forever. But when a long-held family secret comes to light, the music disappears. In its place is a letter, one that could bring Blade the freedom and love he’s been searching for, or leave him feeling even more adrift.Solo:Is written by New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Book Award-winner Kwame AlexanderShowcases Kwame’s signature intricacy, intimacy, and poetic style, by exploring what it means to finally go homeAn #OwnVoices novel that features a BIPOC protagonist on a search for his roots and identityReceived great reviews from Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, Booklist, and Kirkus.If you enjoy Solo, check out Swing by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess.

In this YA novel in verse from bestselling authors Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess (Solo), which Kirkus called “lively, moving, and heartfelt” in a starred review, Noah and Walt just want to leave their geek days behind and find “cool,” but in the process discover a lot about first loves, friendship, and embracing life … as well as why Black Lives Matter is so important for all.Best friends Noah and Walt are far from popular, but Walt is convinced junior year is their year, and he has a plan that includes wooing the girls of their dreams and becoming amazing athletes. Never mind he and Noah failed to make their baseball team yet again, and Noah’s crush since third grade, Sam, has him firmly in the friend zone. While Walt focuses on his program of jazz, podcasts, batting cages, and a “Hug Life” mentality, Noah feels stuck in status quo … until he stumbles on a stash of old love letters. Each one contains words Noah’s always wanted to say to Sam, and he begins secretly creating artwork using the lines that speak his heart. But when his art becomes public, Noah has a decision to make: continue his life in the dugout and possibly lose the girl forever, or take a swing and finally speak out.At the same time, American flags are being left around town. While some think it’s a harmless prank and others see it as a form of protest, Noah can’t shake the feeling something bigger is happening to his community. Especially after he witnesses events that hint divides and prejudices run deeper than he realized.As the personal and social tensions increase around them, Noah and Walt must decide what is really important when it comes to love, friendship, sacrifice, and fate.Swing:is written by New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award-winner Kwame AlexanderFeatures a diverse array of characters and perspectivestackles the biggest social issues of today, including racial prejudice and Black Lives Matteris perfect reading for the classroom or community-wide discussionsis a 2020 YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readerscontains original artwork tied to the storyIf you enjoy Swing, check out Solo by Kwame Alexander and Mary Rand Hess.

In an intimate and non-traditional (or "new-fashioned") memoir, Kwame Alexander shares snapshots of a man learning how to love. He takes us through stories of his parents: from being awkward newlyweds in the sticky Chicago summer of 1967, to the sometimes-confusing ways they showed their love to each other, and for him. He explores his own relationships-his difficulties as a newly wedded, 22-year-old father, and the precariousness of his early marriage working in a jazz club with his second wife. Alexander attempts to deal with the unravelling of his marriage and the grief of his mother's recent passing while sharing the solace he found in learning how to perfect her famous fried chicken dish. With an open heart, Alexander weaves together memories of his past to try and understand his greatest love: his daughters.Full of heartfelt reminisces, family recipes, love poems, and personal letters, Why Fathers Cry at Night inspires bravery and vulnerability in every reader who has experienced the reckless passion, heartbreak, failure, and joy that define the whirlwind woes and wonders of love.

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 abundant offering of language from the poets giving voice to generations of resilient joy. This essential collection, in the tradition of Dudley Randall's The Black Poets and E. Ethelbert Miller's In Search of Color Everywhere, contains poems exploring joy, love, origin, resistance, and praise. Jacqueline A.Trimble likens "Black woman joy" with indigo, tassels, foxes, and peacock plumes. Tyree Day, Nate Marshall, and Elizabeth Acevedo reflect on the meaning of "home" through food, from Cuban rice and beans to fried chicken gizzards. Clint Smith, Rachel Long, and Cameron Awkward-Rich enfold us in their intimate musings on love and devotion. From "jewels in the hand" (Patricia Spears Jones) to "butter melting in small pools in the hearts" (Elizabeth Alexander), This is the Honey drips with poignant and delightful imagery, music and raised fists. Marilyn Nelson puts it this way in "How I Discovered Poetry:" "It was like soul-kissing, the way the words / filled my mouth." This is the Honey is definitive, fresh, and deeply moving, a must-have for any lover of language and a gift for our time.

A young girl finds her voice-and discovers the power of speaking up for herself and her community-in this sweet and humorous chapter book by award-winning and #1 bestselling author Kwame Alexander, perfect for fans of Ivy + Bean and Ruby and the Booker Boys.When Macy gets book one of The Mighty Zora series for her birthday, she stays up until 11:34pm finishing the book. But the next day, when Macy gets to her school library, eager to check out book two, she finds the door locked with a sign explaining that the library will now only be open a few days a week due to budget cuts. Even worse, she finds out her father won't be home to help her figure out what to do, as he will be traveling to a museum in Montgomery, Alabama to read a poem about civil rights. With help from her fellow third graders, support from her mom, and encouragement from poems written and hidden for her by her father, Macy must find her voice and learn the power of advocating for herself and her community.Can Macy learn to be Mighty?

Featuring artists ranging from Miles Davis to Kendrick Lamar, dive into this stunningly illustrated celebration of the history of Black music in America by the award-winning author of The Undefeated.Listen to the sound of survival, courage, and democracy-the soundtrack of America. Hear Billie Holiday's raspy, mournful voice, and tap your foot to Louis Armstrong's trumpet. Scream with James Brown and bop your head to Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. Can you spot the 80+ references to artists like Robert Johnson, Ella Fitzgerald, Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Lauryn Hill, and Beyonce? Come dance to Kwame Alexander's melodious narrative of the history of Black music in America, accompanied by the vibrant illustrations of Charly Palmer. The book includes extensive back matter, providing even more context and history about the music and musicians.

For readers of Raina Telgemeier and Jerry Craft comes a fresh, funny kids' graphic novel series about three problem-solving besties and their humorous money-making schemes.Electric James, or Lex, as his friends call him, is finally turning ten, and that means one thing: he's getting a phone! And with the hottest phone on the market-the Apollo XL-he's sure to become the coolest kid at Roberto Clemente Elementary School. But when his parents break the news that the Apollo XL is way out of their price range, Lex is crushed.Luckily, he has his best friends DJ and Cass. Together, they're the Brainstormerz-and they've never met a problem they couldn't solve! All they need to do now is figure out how to raise the money for the phone themselves. How hard could it be? From the talented trio of New York Times bestselling author Kwame Alexander, Cassidy Dyce, and Eisner winning cartoonist Rashad Doucet, comes a hilarious and electrifying story about friendship, creativity, and the power of teamwork.

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 and K are the most creative fifth graders at Dean Ashley Public School (DAPS). J loves to draw and his wordless stories are J-ENIUS! K loves to write and his stories are K-LASSIC!! Both J and K are determined to win the DAPS annual creative storytelling contest or at least get in the top five. And when they find out that they are both entering The Contest, it's the beginning of one of the most intense rivalries the world has ever seen.It's artist vs. writer with plenty of shady double crosses as J and K plot their way to the top. This epic match-up from Newbery medal winners Kwame Alexander (The Crossover) and Jerry Craft (New Kid) celebrates comics, creativity, and the magic of collaboration.

In this electric and heartfelt follow-up to Newbery Medalwinner The Crossover,soccer, family, love, and friendshiptake center stage astwelve-year-old Nick learns the power of words as he wrestles with problems at home, stands up to a bully, and tries to impress the girl of his dreams.From the dynamic team behind the graphic novel edition of The Crossover.

From the New YorkTimesbest-selling author Kwame Alexander comes Rebound,the dynamic prequel to his Newbery Medalwinning novel in verse,The Crossover.