A review by bickie
Rebound by Kwame Alexander

3.0

Set in 1988, this prequel to The Crossover takes us back to when the Crossover's twin boys' father was 12 years old and struggling with the sudden death of his own father (natural causes). Charlie/Chuck struggles with how anything can be remotely the same without his father, gets caught up in a bad-choice scheme with his best friend Skinny and Skinny's bad-boy cousin Ivan, and ends up being shipped to Washington, DC, to spend the summer with his paternal grandparents. All he wants to do is sit and read his comic books, but his granddaddy puts him to work around the house and grounds as well as brings him to the Boys and Girls Club where he works part time. Chuck gets to know his cousin Roxie who eventually gets him interested in basketball. Themes: importance of family, choosing your "life team" carefully, continuing to live after a devastating loss. Although it is set in 1988, it feels more like a realistic fiction novel; there are a few period details (roller skating is a big thing, police do not shoot first and ask questions later, no mobile phones), but otherwise, it could be contemporary. Best for ages 10-14.