Long Way Down
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Grades 11 & up
Realistic Fiction
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Book Summary:
Will's older brother Shawn has just been shot, and Will's world has collapsed. He's hanging on to three rules Shawn taught him that have been passed down from mentor to mentee, and brother to brother: 1) Don't cry 2) Don't snitch 3) Get revenge. Told in verse, Will's story is framed by a series of encounters with people he's known who were killed as his elevator descends to the ground floor. He may break rule number one, but he's determined to follow rule number three. Book Review: Although it's a little unexpected for Will to be talking to people who have died, it's handled well: Will's confusion about whether he is hallucinating or crazy and even his initial inability to detect the pattern as the elevator moves from floor to floor are shared with the reader. The perspectives they share with Will help us see his past, his relationships, and his outlook more clearly. Although the action is essentially a teen in an elevator for the entire book, the pacing is quick and the writing is powerful. Every line makes you think. "the absolute worst part |
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