When I Was the Greatest
Atheneum Books for Young Readers · Paperback · August 18, 2015
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.
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- Who it’s for
- A coming-of-age story where friendship crosses neighborhood lines and small choices carry weight.
- Genres
- African American YA, YA Stories About Boys & Men, YA Family Stories
- Published
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers, August 18, 2015
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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.
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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.
Loyalty Under Pressure
A coming-of-age story where friendship crosses neighborhood lines and small choices carry weight.
Come here for
- Friendship and loyalty under strain
- An urban teen’s coming-of-age perspective
Expect
- School, boxing, and helping at home
- Neighborhood tensions that turn serious
Where it sits
| African American YA | 60% |
|---|---|
| YA Stories About Boys & Men | 33% |
| YA Family Stories | 27% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- African American YA
- Bullying for Teens
- Disabilities & Special Needs for Teens
- Authors
- Jason Reynolds, Michael Frost
- Publisher
- Atheneum Books for Young Readers
- Published
- August 18, 2015
- Format
- Paperback
- Reading lane
- African American YA