By Jason Reynolds (author) , Danica Novgorodoff (illustrator)
"Exceptional graphic novel adaptation of a ground-breaking novel-in-verse about gun violence, grief and breaking free"
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Winner of the Yoto Kate Greenaway Medal 2022
Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2019, Jason Reynolds’s original Long Way Down novel-in-verse (stunningly illustrated by Chris Priestley) has here been adapted into a glorious graphic novel. The story is as gripping and moving as ever, its atmosphere perhaps even more poignant courtesy of Danica Novgorodoff’s impactful watercolour illustrations. It’s an incredibly poignant story about breaking the cycles of brutal gang culture that will surely now find an even bigger audience.
Two days ago fifteen-year-old Will witnessed the fatal shooting of his big brother. The initial smart of his grief is evoked with characteristic cut-to-the-point lyricism, hauntingly portrayed in a murky, lilac-hued street scene: “When bad things happen, we can usually look up and see the moon, big and bright, shining over us.
But when Shawn died, the moon was off.” Tragically, Will knows the drill in these situations - no crying, no snitching, take revenge. “The Rules weren’t meant to be broken. They were meant for the broken to follow,” so Will gets his brother’s gun and heads into the elevator to exact revenge on Shawn’s murderer.
But at each level Will encounters figures from his past, among them his friend Buck who died last year, Dani who was shot in a playground, his Uncle Mark, his father. So many lives lost to violence, and their reappearance causes Will to think; to question his plans and question the rules.
The award-winning, bestselling verse novel is now a stunning graphic novel with illustrations by Danica Novgorodoff.
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AND THEN THERE WERE SHOTS.
Everybody ran, ducked, hid, tucked themselves tight. Pressed our lips to the pavement and prayed the boom, followed by the buzz of a bullet, didn't meet us. After Will's brother is shot in a gang crime, he knows the next steps. Don't cry. Don't snitch. Get revenge. So he gets in the lift with Shawn's gun, determined to follow The Rules.
Only when the lift door opens, Buck walks in, Will's friend who died years ago. And Dani, who was shot years before that. As more people from his past arrive, Will has to ask himself if he really knows what he's doing.
This haunting, lyrical, powerful verse novel will blow you away.
'A masterpiece from beginning to end.' Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give
'A heartrending and convincing blank verse narrative.' Sunday Times, Books of the Year
'Astonishing.' Kirkus Reviews
'A tour de force.' Publishers Weekly
'Will attract teenagers who don't consider themselves 'readers'.' The Inis Reading Guide
Jason Reynolds is a New York Times bestselling author, shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, National Book Award Honoree, a Kirkus Award winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. The American Booksellers Association's 2017 and 2018 spokesperson for Indies First, his many books include When I Was the Greatest, Boy in the Black Suit, All American Boys (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), As Brave as You, For Every One, the Track series ( Ghost, Patina, Sunny , and Lu ), and Long Way Down , which received both a Newbery Honor and a Printz Honor. He lives in Washington, DC.
From Jason: "Here's what I know: I know there are a lot - A LOT - of young people who hate reading. I know that many of these book haters are boys. I know that many of these book-hating boys, don't actually hate books, they hate boredom. So here's what I plan to do: NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS."
Photo copyright Dayo Kosoko
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The award-winning, bestselling verse novel is now a stunning graphic novel with illustrations by Danica Novgorodoff. AND THEN THERE WERE SHOTS.
The LoveReading4Kids Editorial Team have read and reviewed Long Way Down The Graphic Novel and determined it is suitable for children aged 13-18 years old
Long Way Down The Graphic Novel features in the following genres: Featured Books for Young Adults, Recommendations, Graphic Novels & Comics, Gritty Reads, Stories in Verse, Children's and Young Adult Fiction, Children’s, Teenage and Educational, Star Books, Featured Books for 13+ readers
Paperback. £8.99, down from the £9.99 cover price. Pre-order. 19th November 2020.
Long Way Down The Graphic Novel was written by Jason Reynolds and published by Faber & Faber
Long Way Down The Graphic Novel has 208 pages
£8.99, reduced from £9.99. Pre-order. 19th November 2020.
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