MASL Book Trailer Winner
Long Way Down – TIE – Bailey M. and Paige A. from Liberty Middle School
Long Way Down – TIE – Lauren H from Moberly High School
About the Author
Author Jason Reynolds admits that he didn't read a book until he was 17-years-old. The reason he didn't read? No one ever gave him a book that applied to his life. Few books spoke to his own experience of urban life growing up in Washington D. C. as a black child and then teenager.
He credits Queen Latifah and rap music for inspiring him to write poetry at the age of 9. He continued to write poetry in spite of discouragement from his teachers and professors. While in college, he worked at a bookstore that specialized in African-American fiction; it was there that he discovered books that resonated with him--for the first time in his life.
He published several poetry collections before he published his first novel, When I Was the Greatest, in 2014. Ten books followed quickly and the awards just keep on coming! He moved back to Washington D. C. in 2016.
Jason Reynolds reads from Long Way Down https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iF5MRMtpEcI
Author photo: https://d28hgpri8am2if.cloudfront.net/tagged_assets/3992246/403685768_hr.jpg (photo credit: Simon & Schuster)
Author’s homepage: https://www.jasonwritesbooks.com/
About the Book
Jason Reynolds uses free verse to take on the issue of gun violence. 15-year-old Will, a young man whose brother was recently shot and killed, knows the rules: no crying, no snitching, and always get revenge. He tucks a gun into the waistband of his pants and pushes the button to call the elevator. The book takes place in sixty seconds --- the amount of time it will take for Will to ride the elevator to the ground floor where he intends to find his brother’s murderer and kill him. On the long way down, the elevator stops on each floor, and ghosts from Will's past join him in the elevator--each one a victim of gun violence. Each ghost tells another piece of the story, and Will begins to realize that maybe he doesn't really know what happened. How will he decide what to do?
"Told in free-verse poems, this is a raw, powerful, and emotional depiction of urban violence."--Kirkus Reviews
Awards/recognition:
Newbery Honor Book
Coretta Scott King Honor Book
Printz Honor Book
Winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award
An Edgar Award Winner for Best Young Adult Fiction
Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner
ALA Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
ALA/YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults - Top Ten
An Entertainment Weekly Best YA Book of 2017
National Book Award finalist
Starred reviews from Hornbook, Kirkus, Booklist, and School Library Journal
Resources / Teaching Ideas
Reading group guide & suggested activities
Jason Reynolds' 'Long Way Down' is What you Get When You Mix 'A Christmas Carol' with 'Boyz in the Hood' (podcast, Mashable.com)
Jason Reynolds: What's Unusual About My Story is that I Became a Writer (Guardian, August 2018)
6 Reasons to Read 'Long Way Down'
How a Kid Who Didn't Read a Book Until he was 17 grew up to be a Literary Star (Washington Post, Oct. 23, 2017)
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