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Long Way Down

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A Long Way Down
Written in verse, A Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is a novel about making a moment’s decision. *DISCLAIMER: The story deals with grief, mild cussing, and gun violence.

Plot Summary:

Will doesn’t live in a so great part of town. This African-American teen’s brother, Shawn, is shot and killed by a member of gang member in a near-by part of town. Will decides to follow ‘The Rules’. (‘The Rules’ are passed on through generations of members of this community and they are: 1. DON’T CRY 2. NO SNITCHING 3. ALWAYS GET REVENGE.) Will decides to kill the gang member who killed Shawn. He HAS to follow ‘The Rules’. He gets on the elevator to go down to the Lobby and the elevator stops at every floor. People that have been shot in the past and were in his life get on the elevator at every floor. This thriller is written over one minute and nine seconds.

Author Praise/Critique:

Jason Reynolds is a very talented poet. The book is very visually pleasing because of page art and because the book is written in verse. The dialogue of the people who live in his part of town is so well developed. The characters are very well developed and real. They are described from their personality and characteristics to what kind of clothing they are wearing. Mr. Reynolds! I was very disappointed by the ending. (*No spoilers*) The ending was so open for interpretation. (The end was very much like the ending of The Giver by Lois Lowry.) The ideas one could have about the ending were so broad and so open that the book was not resolved.

Rating and Reasoning:

I give this book 3 stars. The setting, characters, and plot were all well developed. I was very disappointed by this ending. It was not up to the standards of the story told before.

Audience: 8th Graders
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date Published: October 24, 2017
ISBN: 9780571335114
Format: Hardcover
Awards: Newbery Honor Medal 2017
Genre: Realistic/Controversial Fiction

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