Long Way Down

Written by Jason Reynolds

A book for readers in grades 7 and up reviewed by Jose   

    

Jason Reynolds’ Long Way Down is about Will, a fifteen-year-old teen who lives in a rough neighborhood dealing with gun violence. He became distraught after Shawn, his older brother who he looked up to, was shot and killed. Now, Will wants to avenge his brother by killing his murderer. However, he will soon realize that may not be the best option.

I liked Long Way Down because it is written in free-verse poetry. I have never read a book like this before. Each page has a different format that emphasizes the setting, dialogue, and emotions present in the story. Each of the book's pages is short, which makes you want to continue reading it.

The Crossover

Written by Kwame AlexanderA book for readers in grades 5 and up reviewed by Rida     

The poetic novel The Crossover by Kwame Alexander is only told with a series of poems and verses. The main character is a boy who loves basketball named Josh Bell. He has an identical twin brother named Jordan, who is referred to as JB throughout the novel and also loves basketball.

You might think the twins are pretty similar, but they aren't. For example, JB likes shooting hoops from far away, unlike Josh who likes taking closeup dunks. JB likes North Carolina, but Josh likes Duke. JB likes trash-talking on the court, but Josh stays quiet. Throughout the story, these small differences cause big problems. Then, an incident happens that finally changes both of their perspectives.

I liked this book because it was different from other books. The entirety of the book is written in verse, which is unlike any other book I've read before. I also like basketball, so the book was relatable in some aspects.