Long Way Down was a one sitting kind of book. Although it was in verse, it read clearly and smoothly. The story in itself was heartbreak and difficult to read as a mother and as a sister. To imagine those things happening over and over again to my family just because they are “The Rules” was hard to understand but understandably difficult to break the cycle. Although the twist in the elevator surprised me at first it was floor after floor of heartbreak and each stop, more difficult than the last.

Long Way Down won the Newbery Honor, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, and Printz Horo Book at the 2018 Youth Media Awards. The book also won the Walter Dean Myers Award and the Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction (Long Way Down (book), 2020). This story leaves so much to the imagination that there is no doubt that it leaves the reader with question after question making it a fantastic story to ask questions and speculate about. The ending is vague and leaves the reader wondering what happened, what did Will decide to do about his brother’s death? Will’s ride down the elevate to revenge his brother’s murder brings to light many things Will didn’t even know about his own backstory and family. His family is so riddled with murder and gun violence that he thinks it’s the only choice he has. With gun violence in the media so regularly, it is an important topic for kids to talk about, especially how they have other choices. Another topic of discussion could the symbolism in the story: what each ghost in the elevator really meant, what the smoke in the elevator meant, how the elevator rules paralleled the street rules, and what was the meaning of his brother’s reaction (so different than the other ghosts) with Will.

Additional citations:
Long Way Down (book). (2020, May 16). Retrieved June 13, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_Wa...