The next project forNational Book AwardfinalistJason Reynoldsis taking him back to his poetry roots.
Of this unconventional form, Reynolds tells EW: Why verse?
Well, first and foremost, I love poetry.
Credit: Kia Chenelle
It was my first discipline.
But more importantly, theres something fascinating to me about making a world with only a handful of words.
Heres the books official description:
A cannon.
A gat.A hammerA toolfor RULE
Or, you might call it a gun.
Thats what fifteen-year-old Will has shoved in the back waistband of his jeans.
See, his brother Shawn was just murdered.
And Will knows the rules.
He gets on the elevator, seventh floor, stoked.
He knows who hes after.
As the elevator stops on the sixth floor, on comes Buck.
Buck, Will finds out, is who gave Shawn the gun before Will took the gun.
Buck tells Will to check that the gun is even loaded.
And thats when Will sees that one bullet is missing.
And the only one who could have fired Shawns gun was Shawn.
Will didnt know that Shawn had ever actually USED his gun.
But Bucks in the elevator?
Just as Wills trying to think this through, the door to the next floor opens.
A teenage girl gets on, waves away the smoke from Dead Bucks cigarette.
Will doesnt know her, but she knew him.
When they were eight.
A story that might never know an END…if WILL getsoffthat elevator.
It happened to me.Really.
MY NAME IS
Will.William.William Holloman.
But to my friendsand peoplewho know meknow me,
just Will.
Either way,youll know meknow me.
IM ONLY WILLIAM
to my motherand my brother, Shawn,whenever he was tryingto be funny.
NowIm wishing I wouldvelaughed moreat his stupid jokes
because the daybefore yesterday,Shawn was shot
and killed.
