"A gripping, groundbreaking novel-in-verse about gun violence, grief and breaking cycles "
Will is only fifteen but he’s experienced more violence and loss than most people might in an entire lifetime. His big brother Shawn was recently shot dead, right in front of him, but as “everybody knows”, “gunshots make everybody/deaf and blind especially/when they make somebody/dead”. While his mom mourns, “sobbing into her palms”, Will knows what he has to do. He must follow the three rules: No crying. No snitching. Revenge.
Armed with Shawn’s gun, Will heads down six floors in an elevator on his revenge mission, thinking he knows exactly who he’s going after. When the “spooky ass” elevator stops at each floor and ghosts from the past step into the “vertical coffin”, doubts set in as Will is presented with more facts and finally comes face to face with some big choices (do some rules need to be broken? Does he want out of the cycle?), and more besides.
The writing is crisp, clever and dazzlingly compact, with a whole family history and personally-charged societal issues conveyed with powerful precision. The line and page breaks are perfectly constructed, words and phrases frequently have multiple meanings, and Chris Priestley’s raw and resonant illustrations are hauntingly powerful.
The award-winning, bestselling verse novel is now a stunning graphic novel with illustrations by Danica Novgorodoff.'A masterpiece from beginning to end.' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U GiveAND
| Primary Genre | Young Adult Fiction |
| Other Genres: |
The award-winning, bestselling verse novel is now a stunning graphic novel with illustrations by Danica Novgorodoff.'A masterpiece from beginning to end.' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U GiveAND THEN THERE WERE SHOTSEverybodyran,ducked, hid, tuckedthemselves tight. Pressed our lips to thepavement and prayedthe boom, followed by the buzz of a bullet,didn't meet us.After Will's brother is shot in a gang crime, he knows the next steps.
Long Way Down features in the following genres: Young Adult Fiction, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Family and home stories, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Fantasy, Children’s / Teenage fiction: Stories in verse, Children’s / Teenage personal and social topics: Death and grief, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Children’s / Teenage: Personal and social topics
Paperback, Book, Ebook, Hardback. £7.99. Digital. Available Immediately. Country restrictions apply..
Long Way Down was written by Jason Reynolds and published by Faber & Faber
£7.99. Digital. Available Immediately. Country restrictions apply..
