Long Way Down
Jason Reynolds
Fifteen-year-old Will's older brother Shawn has been shot dead. Will knows the rules of his neighbourhood: don't cry, don't snitch, get revenge. He takes Shawn's gun and steps into the lift of his tower block, but on every floor down, someone unexpected gets in.
- Length
- About 20,000 words
- To read it
- About 14 days
- Stage
- Key Stage 3
Reading time at 1,500 words a day, the pace we start from until we know your child’s own.
Where it is taught
Why Long Way Down is on the list
- Year 9, Core. The books most schools teach in this year. A good place to start.
Reading it here
What your child does with it
- 1
Choose it and set a finish date
You get a suggested target from the length of the book and your child's reading pace.
- 2
Check in along the way
A longer book has short check-ins every week or two, so it keeps moving and nothing is forgotten.
- 3
Answer two questions
When they finish: a review of the book, and a deeper question about how it works.
- 4
Get it marked, and redraft
Every answer is marked against the rubric for their year, with a reason for every score.