When I Was the Greatest

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jason Reynolds, a 'funny and rewarding' (Publishers Weekly) coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighbourhood lines and the hardship of life for an urban teen. A lot of the stuff that gives my neighbourhood 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 ticks 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. 'A funny and rewarding read.'Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review 'Urban fiction with heart . . . unexpectedly gorgeous.' Booklist 'Moving and thought-provoking . . . defies readers' expectations.'Kirkus

Jason Reynolds is a critically acclaimed American writer and poet and winner of the Kirkus Prize for Young Readers. From Jason: 'Here's what I know: I know there are a lot - A LOT - of young people who hate reading. I know that many of these book haters are boys. I know that many of these book-hating boys, don't actually hate books, they hate boredom. So here's what I plan to do: NOT WRITE BORING BOOKS. ' This is the first of his books to be published in the UK. jasonwritesbooks.com @jasonreynolds83