Pages: 306
Intended Audience: Mature Teens
Genre: Novel in Verse
Notes for Parents: Contains some coarse language, violence, and mature scenes.
The Inside Cover
Sixty
seconds.
Seven
floors.
Three
rules.
One
gun.
Will’s
older brother, Shawn, has been shot. Dead. Will feels a sadness so great he
can’t explain it. But in his neighborhood, there are THE RULES:
No.
1: Crying
Don’t.
No
matter what.
No.
2: Snitching
Don’t.
No
matter what.
No.
3: Revenge
Do.
No
matter what.
But
bullets miss. You can get the wrong guy. And there’s always someone else who
knows to follow the rules.
What the cover doesn’t tell
you:
Long Way Down won a
2018 Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Author Honor, and Michael L. Printz
Honor.
What’s good?
This
is a short but powerful story. As Will travels down the elevator, on his way to
kill his brother’s murderer, he’s reminded of the people and events of his past
that have influenced the person he has become. His anger and grief and desire
for justice – and, not to mention, the rules – are juxtaposed with his desire
for change. Authoritative and eloquently crafted, this is a well-paced, timely
story of one boy’s personal struggle.
Best Part: The end.
What isn’t good?
I find it difficult to find fault in this story.
If I have to find something, it would probably be that some readers won’t be
able to identify with the sheer volume of tragedy Will has experienced in his
short life. But this shouldn’t be a deterrent since it is by no means an
unrealistic representation of life for teens in vulnerable communities.
Worst part: None.
Recommendation ☺☺☺☺(4.5/5)
This
was a complex story stripped down to it’s bare essentials, told in an easy to
read, difficult to ignore format. It exposed the impossible choices faced by
those who live with violence every day. It’s a story that shouldn’t be
disregarded. Highly recommended.
Reynolds, Jason. Long Way Down. New York: Atheneum, 2017.
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