2019
WISE Score
Amazon
One elevator ride, sixty seconds, and a gun tucked in a waistband. It’s a verse-novel gut-punch that stares down the cycle of violence without blinking.
4.4
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This isn't just 'good for school'—it's actually a gripping read. Jason Reynolds writes with a rhythm that feels like a heartbeat, and the French translation captures that intensity well.
It’s short enough to finish in one sitting, but the ending will stick with you for weeks. If you have a teen who thinks books are boring or irrelevant, hand them this. It’s a masterclass in how to tell a complex story with very few words.
Best for ages 12 and up. It’s sophisticated enough for high schoolers and adults, but the sparse writing makes it accessible for middle schoolers who can handle the heavy themes.
It deals with heavy trauma and the urge for revenge, but it’s emotionally honest. It models the internal struggle of breaking a cycle of violence rather than glorifying it.
The verse format is brilliant. Setting an entire novel in a 60-second elevator ride where ghosts from the past step on at every floor is a masterstroke of storytelling structure.
The book is safe for its teen target audience, but it centers on a kid carrying a gun to commit a murder. There is no gore, but the psychological tension and talk of death are constant.
This is a powerhouse for building empathy and ethical reasoning. It forces the reader to sit with the complexity of 'The Rules' in violent neighborhoods without offering easy answers.
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