Long Way Down

Long Way Down takes place over sixty seconds as fifteen-year-old Will rides an elevator with a gun in his waistband, deciding whether to use it to avenge his brother Shawn's murder. Will knows the street rules: no crying, no snitching, revenge. As the elevator descends, people connected to Shawn board at each floor. Buck reveals that one bullet is missing from the gun—meaning Shawn had actually fired it. A girl Will knew as a child, hit by stray bullets on a playground years ago, asks what if Will misses. With each stop, someone shares a piece of a larger story than Will realizes, one that might have no ending if he leaves the elevator. Written in short, staccato narrative verse, the novel examines teenage gun violence. It is a Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book, Printz Honor Book, and winner of the Walter Dean Myers Award and Edgar Award for Best Young Adult Fiction.