While No One Was Watching

As in her previous novels, Conly (Crazy Lady; Trout Summer) once again explores vivid characters living on the fringe of society, this time taking the point of view of the misfits themselves. Earl, Frankie and Angela Foster are temporarily left in the care of their Aunt Lula while their widower father is away seeking work and housing. The novel's shift in perspectives among the three children give readers a well-rounded view of their destitute home life. As Lula's drinking escapades take her away for longer stretches, the children must fend for themselves, and the eldest sibling, Earl, falls under the influence of his 18-year-old cousin, Wayne. On one occasion, the pair steal bicycles from an affluent neighborhood and seven-year-old Frankie, tagging along, kidnaps a rabbit he finds in a hutch. The hunt for the rabbit by its owner leads to help for the Foster children, as well as the intervention in a near murder. By writing from the children's points of view, Conly achieves a riveting immediacy and a wistful sense of irony (as when Frankie recalls, ""Lula said to watch out for trouble, and he tried to, but he wasn't always sure what trouble looked like""). Their situation is all the more poignant because of the children's ignorance of its severity. Readers will likely overlook the tidy wrap-up for the suspenseful plot and the fully rendered portrait of this memorable trio. Ages 10-up. (May)