When I Was the Greatest

From Carnegie winning author, a coming-of-age novel about friendship and loyalty across neighbourhood lines - illustrated by award-winner, Akhran Girmay. 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.