Luigi Lenzini wasn't the biggest kid on Regent Street in Philadelphia. He wasn't the strongest either. But he was the fastest. He was faster than the wind, and nobody ever beat him when the kids ran their races always barefoot in the summer. But one day Luigi found himself facing an impossible opponent. This time, Luigi was the underdog. Can Luigi's feisty Philadelphia spirit help him win, or will he lose to Mean Max? Dan Paley's urban tall tale and Aaron Boyd's colorful illustrations take us to a city neighborhood of row houses, with children playing in the streets, adults visiting on the stoops, summer seeming like it will never end, and one kid's honor hanging in the balance. Maybe it's urban legend, or maybe the true events have acquired added luster in Dan Paley's memory. After all, a story this amazing couldn't possibly be true, could it?

They say Luigi always ran barefoot. And they speak of his greatest challenge--the race nobody thought he could win, not even Luigi himself.

Maybe it's urban legend, or maybe the true events have acquired added luster in Dan Paley's memory. After all, a story this amazing couldn't possibly be true, could it?

• Suffused with nostalgia for soft summer evenings in a city neighborhood, with kids playing in the street, neighbors visiting, twilight seeming like it would never end....
• A tall tale that kids will never tire of.
• Aaron Boyd's colorful illustrations vividly recreate an urban Philadelphia street and its houses, shops, and memorable people.

Fountas & Pinnell Level M