While No One Was Watching

by Jane Leslie Conly

Book Overview

On their own... Frankie, Earl, and Angela aren't excited about spending the summer with Aunt Lula while their dad's away. But they have no idea just how bad it will be. When Lula disappears, the kids have no food, no money-- and no one to take care of them. Someone has to take charge. Since Earl is the oldest, he feels responsible. His older cousin, Wayne, shows him how to steal bikes. It's a great way to make money, and Earl is desperate. But stealing bikes is not all Wayne does. And when he asks Earl to join him in a new money-making scheme, Earl is torn. It feels bad, but he needs the money. And no one is watching...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 006440787X
• ISBN13: 9780064407878
• Release Date: March 2000
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.34 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

While No One Was Watching

"While No One Was Watching" is a famous book that won the Boston Globe- Horn Book Award in 1998. It was written by Jane Leslie Conly. The story is about two brothers and a sister who spent the summer with their aunt while their dad was away for finding a job. The main character, Frankie, was seven years old and he had an elder brother called Earl and a younger sister called Angela. Frankie's mother died when Frankie was two years old. Aunt Lulu was requested to take care of them. However, when Aunt Lulu went out, the kids were left unattended and they got no food and no money. At this moment, Wayne, who is a friend of Earl's, brought Earl to steal bikes from other people. Therefore, Earl and Wayne always stole bikes for money. One day, Frankie also went out with Earl and Wayne. While Earl and Wayne were stealing a bike in someone's backyard, Frankie saw a rabbit and took it home. Because of missing her rabbit, Addie and her friend, Maynard, tried to trace any possible clues to find the rabbit. They acted like detectives and searched for the path of the footprints. By following the footprints, they found Frankie. While they were asking Frankie, they saw Wayne robbing an old man's house. They called the police and arrested Wayne at once. The old man was safe. The rabbit was also returned to Addie. Though Frankie was fond of the rabbit, he realized that he had done wrong by taking away other people's properties without any permission. Earl, in fact, tried to stop Wayne from robbing the old man as he knew that he had gone too wrong. Therefore, only Wayne was arrested by the police. Later, Frankie`s dad found a job and the whole family could live happily together. Part of this book is similar to the stories of Sherlock Holmes, because the Addie's friend Maynard used various devices of detective's to find Frankie. The other part of the story was about how children spent their time and what the main element most kids need. Readers that love to hear stories of children and like detective stories would best appreciate this book. I chose this book because the title gives me a mysterious feeling and the cover of the book is attractive. The best part of this book is when Maynard and Addie both tried to figure out who stole the rabbit. They searched for footprints on the floor and signs of rabbit in Frankie's house. When they found that Frankie had the rabbit, they made funny assumptions about their suspect.

"'I want...' Frankie stopped. All at once he knew he couldn't have what he wanted."

While No One Was Watching is a very powerful book about the struggles of three children left on their own. This realistic fiction tells the story of Frankie, Earl, and Angela the summer they are left with Aunt Lula. They have a struggling father who has left to earn money and a permanently absent mother. Aunt Lula is all the children have and one day she doesn't come home. Left with no money and no one to turn to, the three children try to survive. The oldest son turns to stealing bikes and Frankie tuns all his attention to the only good thing in his life, the rabbit he stole. One of the most powerful points of this book is the paralleling story on the other side of town. Conly contasts the hardships of three down-and-out children with the uptown girl whose rabbit was stolen. This book is worth the read for the potent reality it illustrates. It has strong themes of survival, love, and poverty.

OK

This book was ok! it was sort of boring though! The characters were very interesting though!