Long Way Down
Nominated by: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz
Finalist blurb: Fifteen-year-old Will knows the rules of the street- don't cry, don't snitch, and get revenge. When his older brother Sean is shot and killed, Will believes it's his job to avenge the murder. On the way down in the elevator, he encounters the ghosts of a number of people- an uncle, a childhood friend, his father, and finally, his brother, Sean- who have all died as a result of gun violence. Jason Reynold's novel-in-verse perfectly captures the reality of so many urban adolescents, and ends with a question that is sure to get readers talking. Definitely a book that will turn kids onto poetry.
— Carol Wilcox, Carol's Corner