Long Way Down

Reach for this book when your teen is grappling with the heavy weight of grief, the pressure of peer expectations, or the complex cycle of community violence. It is an essential choice for starting difficult conversations about the choices we make when we feel we have no choice at all. This verse novel follows fifteen-year-old Will as he enters an elevator with a gun in his waistband, intending to avenge his brother's murder. Over a sixty-second descent, he is visited by the ghosts of those lost to the same cycle of violence. It is an intense, powerful, and ultimately hopeful look at breaking free from destructive legacies. Parents should note the themes of gun violence and death, but the lyrical format makes these heavy topics accessible for high schoolers.