When Will’s older brother Shawn dies a violent death, he is faced with his overwhelming grief and knowledge that there are only three rules in the hood.  No crying, no snitching and get revenge.  As he tries to process his brother’s demise and how he will react to the rules, Will finds himself on the elevator of his family’s building.  In the span of 60 seconds he has chance encounters from ghosts of his past to help him come to terms with what has happened and how he will handle the very difficult situation he is placed in.  A Long Way Down was written by National Book Award Finalist, Jason Reynolds.