Interview with Kwame Alexander About His New Book, Becoming Muhammad Ali
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Do you love Kwame Alexander’s books? His latest book, Becoming Muhammad Ali, is written with James Patterson, and one of his BEST EVER.
After I read an early review copy, I had a chance to interview Alexander via Zoom.
In our chat, we talk about the book, figurative language, collaborating with James Patterson, and more! Scroll down for the video recording. You won’t want to miss it.
Publisher Synopsis

My Review
Important Info
Becoming Muhammad Ali goes on sale on October 5, 2020. It’s 320 pages for ages 8 – 12 and grades 2 – 7.
–> Becoming Muhammad Ali Educator’s Guide
My Interview with Kwame Alexander
A big thank you to Kwame Alexander for taking the time to chat with me about this incredible book!
About the Authors of Becoming Muhammad Ali
BIO: Kwame Alexander is a poet, educator, and the New York Times Bestselling author of 32 books, including SWING, REBOUND, which was shortlisted for prestigious Carnegie Medal, THE UNDEFEATED, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, HOW TO READ A BOOK, illustrated by Melissa Sweet, and, his NEWBERY medal-winning middle grade novel, THE CROSSOVER. A regular contributor to NPR’s Morning Edition, Kwame is the recipient of numerous awards, including The Coretta Scott King Author Honor, Three NAACP Image Award Nominations, and the 2017 Inaugural Pat Conroy Legacy Award. In partnership with Follett Book Fairs, he created the #AllBooksForAllKids initiative to bring more diverse books into school libraries. In 2018, he opened the Barbara E. Alexander Memorial Library and Health Clinic in Ghana, as a part of LEAP for Ghana, an international literacy program he co-founded. Kwame is the Founding Editor of VERSIFY, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt that aims to Change the World One Word at a Time.
BIO: James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. The creator of Max Einstein and Middle School, he founded JIMMY Patterson to publish books that young readers will love. He lives in Florida with his family.
Closing Thoughts
Share this biography widely with the children in your life– it may just be their new favorite book.
–> BUY Becoming Muhammad Ali
Teachers, if you’re like me, you’re always on the lookout for books to use as mentor texts for growing writers. This book is one that showcases a wealth of good writing strategies including figurative language, showing not telling, sensory details, details that matter, sequencing, character development, and much more; there’s so much richness in this text.
Finally, we learn so much from biographies. Get children reading a biography that feels like a narrative novel — and hook them on the power and wisdom of living someone else’s real-life for awhile.
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