When I Was the Greatest (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781442459489)

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds, a "funny and rewarding" (Publishers Weekly) coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighborhood lines and the hardship of life for an urban teen.

A lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don't really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.

Nah, not his thing. Ali's got enough going on, between school and boxing and helping out at home. His best friend Noodles, though. Now there's a dude looking for trouble--and, somehow, it's always Ali around to pick up the pieces. But, hey, a guy's gotta look out for his boys, right? Besides, it's all small potatoes; it's not like anyone's getting hurt.

And then there's Needles. Needles is Noodles's brother. He's got a syndrome, and gets these tics and blurts out the wildest, craziest things. It's cool, though: everyone on their street knows he doesn't mean anything by it.

Yeah, it's cool...until Ali and Noodles and Needles find themselves somewhere they never expected to be...somewhere they never should've been--where the people aren't so friendly, and even less forgiving.

Author: Jason Reynolds
ISBN-10: 1442459484
ISBN-13: 9781442459489
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Language: English
Published: 08/18/2015
Pages: 256
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.56w x 0.75d

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4.8
Point Value: 9
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 163699 / When I Was the Greatest