Long Way Down
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds is assigned in US schools at grades 7–12, with a Lexile measure of 720L. It appears across 2 curriculum references and 2 states, sourced from state DOE pages and AP/IB/Common Core syllabi. Every citation below links to the primary source.
This page shows where Long Way Down is assigned in US schools — curricula, states, grades, and the primary-source citations behind each placement. Not a summary or study guide.
- Lexile
- 720L
- Grade range
- Grades 7–12
- Difficulty for grade
- Below the grade 6–8 band (925–1185L)
- Age range
- Ages 12–18
- Pages
- 320
- Reading time
- about 5h 50m (est.)
- First published
- 2017
- Genre
- Young Adult Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9781481438261
Reading difficulty: At 720L, Long Way Down reads below the typical 925–1185L text-complexity range for 7th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge.
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About this book
Told in verse over the sixty seconds of a single elevator ride, Jason Reynolds's novel follows fifteen-year-old Will as he sets out to avenge his brother's shooting under the neighborhood's unwritten rules. At each floor a figure from his past steps on, forcing Will to reckon with the cycle of violence he is about to continue. A Newbery, Printz, and Coretta Scott King Honor book, it is widely assigned in grades 7-12 for its spare, high-impact form.
Why widely assigned
This Young Adult Fiction title, reads at middle-grade prose complexity, typically at grades 7–12. Written in the 2010s; pairs with curriculum units on grief and revenge; cited across 2 curriculum frameworks.
Content notes
gun violence · death
Where this book is assigned
Great Lakes Great Books Award
- recommended·7th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.
- recommended·8th grade · Michigansource: Michigan Reading Association — Great Lakes Great Books Award (student-choice, grade-band shortlists; annual, since 1989). Winner/honor/nominee rolls Grades 4-5, 6-8, 9-12.
North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award
- recommended·7th grade · North Dakotasource: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025
- recommended·8th grade · North Dakotasource: North Dakota Library Association — Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (student-choice; annual since 1978; Juvenile/Chapter + Intermediate + Older-Reader divisions); winner roll 1978-2025
Similar grade-level books
Fahrenheit 451Ray Bradbury · 890L
The Diary of a Young GirlAnne Frank · 1080L
1984George Orwell · 1090L
The Great GatsbyF. Scott Fitzgerald · 1070L
See all books like Long Way Down→ — matched on theme + reading level.
Common questions
- What grade level is Long Way Down?
- Long Way Down is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 7–12, with a Lexile measure of 720L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Long Way Down?
- Long Way Down has a Lexile measure of 720L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- How long does it take to read Long Way Down?
- It takes about 5h 50m to read Long Way Down (320 pages) at an average adult reading pace of about 250 words per minute — roughly 350 minutes. Faster or slower readers will vary; the estimate is a planning guide for assigning the book.
- Is Long Way Down hard to read for 7th grade?
- At 720L, Long Way Down reads below the typical 925–1185L text-complexity range for 7th grade (Common Core Appendix A). It is an accessible read for the grade — often assigned for its themes and discussion value rather than for reading challenge. Lexile measures text complexity, not thematic maturity — check the content notes for age-appropriateness separately.
- What curricula assign Long Way Down?
- Long Way Down appears on reading lists for Great Lakes Great Books Award, North Dakota Flicker Tale Children's Book Award. Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 720L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 7–12 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 2 curricula on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 2 states ELA frameworks or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- Tagged for: book-club.