Want to excite a young person to read? FEATURING: Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds What is great about all of the stories by Jason Reynolds is his ability to capture the reader early on and keep them in his grasp for the duration of the read. There's always deeper meaning. But not so deep, where he loses people. Which is why I recommend Long Way Down as a good way to excite a young person into reading. The story deals with emotion and grief, but also the grappling that young people may experience with these feelings. I love that the story is not formatted traditionally and makes it interesting, not intimidating, despite the actual page count. Overall, Jason Reynolds' prose is a gift to the reading community, but if you are an apprehensive reader, or one who is bored with standard, redone stories, his work will take you on a literary journey that you least expect. #holidaygiftguide