To help you make the most of this release in the library and classroom, we're sharing high school librarian Suzanne Libra's curriculum ideas and recommended book pairings below. Also, grab her ready-to-go lesson plan to pair with the book, "Adapting a Story into a Graphic Novel."

Lesson and Discussion Ideas

A lesson that focuses on the content of Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel can start with an analysis of the title—how many meanings does it have? Or with a close examination of the story's conclusion: What happens on the next page? What does Will decide? Students can also compare Reynolds' ending to the ending of Lois Lowry's The Giver (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 1993). A discussion on why authors might choose open-ended conclusions could also be another way students can explore the many ways an author can choose to close a story. Readers can also compare how they feel at the end of the novel to how they feel at the end of the graphic novel: Do the images change a reader's perceptions? For a discussion that takes on a wider lens, students can consider what the novel as a whole says about what it means to be a good family member or a good community member. Are these different?

Another element to consider is that both versions of this story are told in verse. Students can discuss why Reynolds chose to use poetry instead of prose. What does poetry add? Would the use of poetry function in the same way if the book was told from the third-person perspective instead of first? While one of the themes of this book is personal choice, it also lends itself to a discussion of the intentional choices an author and artist make during the process of telling a story. For example, how do the many decisions about color, format, and how the characters are drawn (and the actions they take with each other) add to the impact of the story? These activities directly relate to Common Core Reading Literature standards.

Comparing Adaptations

This graphic novel provides students an opportunity to offer their opinions on adaptations. Students can look at other adaptations: the film version of S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders (Viking 1967), both the original (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 1999) and graphic novel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux 2018) versions of Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak, the various film adaptations of Shakespeare plays, or even the Harry Potter films. Questions for students to consider could be: Which version is more effective? Do they reach different audiences? Does the medium make or change the message?

Opportunities for Collaboration

The art in this book provides a great opportunity for a cooperative lesson with art classes. The art teacher can help lead discussions about the style and format of the art in the graphic novel and provide other examples of narrative art. For a final project, students could create a two-page spread of art adapting a different book into a graphic novel. One of Reynolds' Track series books would be a great option for adaptation.

This graphic novel would also be a great tool to use for a social/emotional lesson. The book's brevity and focus lends itself to an exploration of personal maturity and responsibility and dealing with your emotions. Students could start by looking at page three, when Will tells us his name and readers see him in various panels. Students can respond to the illustrations as well as Will's introduction: What details does the artist choose to highlight and why? What is the emotional impact of Will's introduction? How do you introduce yourself? This lesson could also include students researching peace academies and exploring the ways these groups are addressing violence and community-building on the ground in an effort to break the cycle of revenge. You can refer students to an NPR interview with Troy Harden, lead curriculum developer for the Metropolitan Peace Academy in Chicago, and Tyree Head, a recent graduate of the street outreach training program (https://www.npr.org/2020/10/25/927666829/peace-academy-graduates-are-trained-to-break-cycle-of-street-violence). Even if the social/emotional class only meets once a week, the impact of the story and images will remain with the students as they explore the context of Will's journey and what it means to the larger community in which he lives.