{"product_id":"when-i-was-the-greatest-9781442459489","title":"When I Was the Greatest","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Jason Reynolds, a \"funny and rewarding\" (\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e) coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighborhood lines and the hardship of life for an urban teen.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA lot of the stuff that gives my neighborhood a bad name, I don\u003c\/i\u003e'\u003ci\u003et really mess with. The guns and drugs and all that, not really my thing.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eNah, 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAnd 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. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eYeah, 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.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJason Reynolds is a #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author, a Newbery Award Honoree, a Printz Award Honoree, a two-time National Book Award finalist, a Kirkus Award winner, a two-time Walter Dean Myers Award winner, an NAACP Image Award Winner, and the recipient of multiple Coretta Scott King honors. Reynolds is also the 2020-2021 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. His many books include \u003ci\u003eWhen I Was the Greatest\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e The Boy in the Black Suit\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e All American Boys\u003c\/i\u003e (cowritten with Brendan Kiely), \u003ci\u003eAs Brave as You\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e For Every One\u003c\/i\u003e, the Track series (\u003ci\u003eGhost\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ePatina\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSunny\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLu\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eLook Both Ways\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eLong Way Down\u003c\/i\u003e, which received a Newbery Honor, a Printz Honor, and a Coretta Scott King Honor. He lives in Washington, DC. You can find his ramblings at JasonWritesBooks.com.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Atheneum Books for Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50613124268306,"sku":"9781442459489","price":8.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_e3fd5975-c29a-4bd4-a5ab-dc3ae12dfe72.jpg?v=1737288025","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/when-i-was-the-greatest-9781442459489","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}