{"schema_version":"bf_book_companion_v1","release_id":"20260416T232012Z","book":{"amazon_purchase_url":"https://www.amazon.com/dp/1442459484?tag=bookfrontier-20","asin":"1442459484","authors":["Jason Reynolds","Michael Frost"],"book_id":"9781442459489","canonical_url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/when-i-was-the-greatest-1442459484","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781442459489.jpg?v=20260416T232012Z%3A2026-04-17T10%3A17%3A29Z","description":"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.","forthcoming":false,"isbn13":"9781442459489","publication_date":"20150818","publisher":"Atheneum Books for Young Readers","slug":"when-i-was-the-greatest","subtitle":"","title":"When I Was the Greatest"},"discovery":{"categories":{"all":[{"bisac_code":"YAF046120","confidence_band":"medium","label":"African American YA","score":0.8424,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF058190","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Prejudice & Racism for Teens","score":0.8228,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF058020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Bullying for Teens","score":0.8202,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"hint":[{"bisac_code":"YAF046120","confidence_band":"medium","label":"African American YA","score":0.8424,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF058190","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Prejudice & Racism for Teens","score":0.8228,"source":"bisac_hint_model"},{"bisac_code":"YAF058020","confidence_band":"medium","label":"Bullying for Teens","score":0.8202,"source":"bisac_hint_model"}],"publisher":[{"bisac_code":"YAF046120","confidence_band":"high","label":"African American YA","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"YAF058020","confidence_band":"high","label":"Bullying for Teens","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"},{"bisac_code":"YAF058070","confidence_band":"high","label":"Disabilities & Special Needs for Teens","score":1,"source":"onix_publisher_code"}]},"genres":[{"label":"African American YA","score":0.8424,"slug":"african-american-ya"},{"label":"Prejudice & Racism for Teens","score":0.8228,"slug":"prejudice-racism-for-teens"},{"label":"Bullying for Teens","score":0.8202,"slug":"bullying-for-teens"}],"reader_fit":["Good for readers who enjoy African American YA","Good for readers interested in civil rights","Good for fans of Young Adult"],"related_lists":[{"intro":"","slug":"shelf-yaf046120-people-places-united-states-african-american","title":"People & Places United States African American Books","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/shelf-yaf046120-people-places-united-states-african-american"},{"intro":"Character-first stories where growth and identity are the main engine.","slug":"how-its-told-coming-of-age","title":"Coming of Age Stories","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/lists/how-its-told-coming-of-age"}],"series":null,"similar_books":[{"authors":["Gabriel Bump"],"book_id":"9781616208790","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781616208790.jpg?v=20260416T232012Z%3A2026-04-17T10%3A17%3A29Z","score":13.7715,"title":"Everywhere You Don't Belong","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781616208790"},{"authors":["Jason Reynolds","Jason Griffin"],"book_id":"9781534439467","cover_image_url":"https://img.bookfrontier.com/9781534439467.jpg?v=20260416T232012Z%3A2026-04-17T10%3A17%3A29Z","score":13.6085,"title":"Ain't Burned All the Bright","url":"https://bookfrontier.com/books/9781534439467"},{"authors":["Sharon Flake","Jason Reynolds","Sharon G. 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