WASHINGTON – For more than 25 years, NEA’s Read Across America has been encouraging people to crack open a book and read. The year-round literacy program is not just about turning pages—it is about opening minds. This year, NEA is celebrating Read Across America with story, sound, and song, featuring Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover winning the Newbery medal.
“True joy in reading begins with access to diverse books, allowing readers to understand and appreciate the rich tapestry of cultures and experiences around the world. Just like literature, music and song help to build community, reflect culture and history, and tell powerful stories. In this spirit, NEA’s Read Across America celebrates the magic that happens when we come together to share these stories. This year, we highlight the dynamic connection between story and sound. By blending two of the most expressive art forms—literature and music—young readers gain new perspectives, inspire positive change, and experience the joy of community. Through books, they not only discover their own voices but also learn to appreciate the rhythm of others’ stories and lived experiences—one book, one story, and one song at a time.”
This year’s national, signature Read Across America event features award-winning author Kwame Alexander and jazz bassist Amy Shook as they bring the acclaimed book, The Crossover, to life in a dynamic jazz performance on Sunday, March 2, Read Across America Day, at Langston Hughes Middle School in Reston, Va. Langston Hughes students will feel the rhythm and the beat of twin brothers navigating love, loyalty, and family on and off the basketball court in a whole new way. Students will share their artistic, dramatic, musical, and athletic talents in an unforgettable afternoon with invited students, families, educators, and esteemed guests.
“The beauty of reading lies in the fact that every story matters. We all deserve to see ourselves reflected in books, but we also need stories that broaden our perspectives and introduce us to experiences beyond our own. The National Education Association and I share the belief that books have the power to transform the world. That’s why I’m thrilled to collaborate with them to bring The Crossover to readers in a whole new way to celebrate NEA’s Read Across America,” said author, poet, and founder of AuthorStudy.com Kwame Alexander. “Offering up new and different experiences is the magic reading brings us. Through the nation’s largest celebration of books and reading, we can spread that magic simply by picking up a book and sharing it with a child. When we read together, we inspire a love for reading that lasts a lifetime.”
In addition, NEA curated new opportunities and resources to help educators support students in making powerful connections between music, storytelling, and the joy of reading.
- Read Across America Presents: Kwame Alexander’s The Crossover – A Jazz-Infused Reading. For the 10th anniversary of the popular novel, NEA is bringing music and story together with a special video performance by poet and author Kwame Alexander reading aloud the entirety of his award-winning title with accompaniment by jazz bassist Amy Shook.
- NEA will release five 25-minute videos of this engaging fusion of literature and music throughout the first week of March on NEA’s YouTube, Facebook, and at nea.org/crossover. This gives students in grades 5 – 12 across the country an opportunity to feel the rhythm and the beat of twin brothers navigating love, loyalty, and family on and off the basketball court in a whole new way!
- Readers can tune in for a new episode every day at beginning at 8 a.m. ET March 3 – 7, 2025.
- Resources for educators to support sharing The Crossover in the classroom are available at nea.org/crossover.
With an estimated 45 million people participating, NEA’s Read Across America is the biggest reading celebration in the country. Reading events nationwide are more important than ever to ensure diverse, age-appropriate books are available to all students.
“Thank you Langston Hughes Middle School for hosting our signature event and thank you, Kwame Alexander, for your craft, contributions, and for creating stories that leap off the page and into the hearts of young readers. Your book, The Crossover, and your poetry inspire, empower, and remind us that poetry can soar and connect us in unforgettable ways.”
About NEA’s Read Across America
Launched in 1998 by the National Education Association and guided by a committee of educators, NEA’s Read Across America is the nation’s largest celebration of reading. This year-round program focuses on motivating children and teens to read via events, partnerships, and reading resources that are about everyone, for everyone. The titles and resources featured by NEA’s Read Across America include books that students can see themselves reflected in, as well as books that allow readers to see a world or a character that might be different than them.
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The National Education Association is the nation’s largest professional employee organization, representing more than 3 million elementary and secondary teachers, higher education faculty, education support professionals, school administrators, retired educators, students preparing to become teachers, healthcare workers, and public employees. Learn more at www.nea.org
Media Contact
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