When No One Was Looking [Mass Market Paperback]

Rosemary Wells (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 12, 1987

Kathy is a young tennis player with enough drive, attitude, and talent to go right to the top. And it seems that everyone around her has a stake in her success. So, when Kathy is presented with an opponent she can't beat, and a tragedy occurs, everyone's motives are questioned. They all want victory badly-but would anyone really kill for it?

"Urgently compelling." -Publishers Weekly

Awards for When No One Was Looking:

( Winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award
( An ALA Best Book for Young Adults
( A School Library Journal Best Book for Young Adults

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback
• Publisher: Fawcett (March 12, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449702510
• ISBN-13: 978-0449702512
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,963,194 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in New York City, Rosemary Wells grew up in a house "filled with books, dogs, and nineteenth-century music." Her childhood years were spent between her parents' home near Red Bank, New Jersey, and her grandmother's rambling stucco house on the Jersey Shore. Most of her sentimental memories, both good and bad, stem from that place and time. Her mother was a dancer in the Russian Ballet, and her father a playwright and actor. Mrs. Wells says, "Both my parents flooded me with books and stories. My grandmother took me on special trips to the theater and museums in New York. "Rosemary Wells's career as an author and illustrator spans more than 30 years and 60 books. She has won numerous awards, and has given readers such unforgettable characters as Max and Ruby, Noisy Nora, and Yoko. She has also given Mother Goose new life in two enormous, definitive editions, published by Candlewick. Wells wrote and illustrated Unfortunately Harriet, her first book with Dial, in 1972. One year later she wrote the popular Noisy Nora. "The children and our home life have inspired, in part, many of my books. Our West Highland white terrier, Angus, had the shape and expressions to become Benjamin and Tulip, Timothy, and all the other animals I have made up for my stories." Her daughters Victoria and Beezoo were constant inspirations, especially for the now famous "Max" board book series. "Simple incidents from childhood are universal," Wells says. "The dynamics between older and younger siblings are common to all families."But not all of Wells' ideas come from within the family circle. Many times when speaking, Mrs. Wells is asked where her ideas come from. She usually answers, "It's a writer's job to have ideas." Sometimes an idea comes from something she reads or hears about, as in the case of her recent book, Mary on Horseback, a story based on the life of Mary Breckenridge, who founded the Frontier Nursing Service. Timothy Goes to School was based on an incident in which her daughter was teased for wearing the wrong clothes to a Christmas concert. Her dogs, west highland terriers, Lucy and Snowy, work their way into her drawings in expression and body position. She admits, "I put into my books all of the things I remember. I am an accomplished eavesdropper in restaurants, trains, and gatherings of any kind. These remembrances are jumbled up and changed because fiction is always more palatable than truth. Memories become more true as they are honed and whittled into characters and stories."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars When No One Was Looking Book Review, May 25, 2009

A Kid's Review

This review is from: When No One Was Looking (Hardcover)

When no one was looking is a dramatic mystery about two close friends. Kathy Bardy and Julia Redmond have always been best friends. Even when Kathy is busy with her newly found talent: tennis Julia is understanding and very supportive of her. Although Julia is very rich and pretty and Kathy is average looking and poor--their differences make them even closer friends. At age twelve, Kathy took up tennis and soon after her exceptional talent was discovered. By age fourteen Kathy is ranked number twelve in New
England.
Kathy is used to winning so when Ruth Gumm, a tennis player who is clearly not as good as Kathy is, repeatedly beats Kathy she gets very frustrated. The morning before Kathy plays Ruth for the third time, Ruth is found dead in the pool, apparently drowned. Although at first the police declare it an accident, later the police find that there was a high percentage of chlorine in the pool, definitely more than usual. In addition, they find a footprint with clay on it. Because of these discoveries, people start asking questions. Kathy is challenged with both clearing her name and finding out who added chlorine to the pool in an attempt to either hurt or kill Ruth Gumm. She also is challenged with the decision to continue with tennis because she is shocked by the idea that someone close to her would have hurt and possibly killed for her tennis carrier. As the book comes to an end Kathy Bard decides to keep playing tennis and she finds out what really happened to Ruth Gumm.
I thought this book had interesting characters but not the best plot. Although a lot happens in When No One Was Looking not much is related to the main topic: the mystery of how Ruth Gumm dies. I also think it was well written because of how well it explained tennis. This book gave detailed explanation of the setting and characters although it did not have much of a plot.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When No One Was Looking, May 20, 2001

By 

Liz (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When No One Was Looking (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is about Kathy Bardy. She is a tennis player, and dreams of bering famous someday. At her level tennis isn't fun, it's competition! Suddenly a terrible accident happens, and by coincidence, it involves a tennis apponent that Kathy can't beat. This book is about Kathy's tennis career and an accident that can ruin it all.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When No one Was Looking, December 2, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: When No One Was Looking (Mass Market Paperback)

This book was interesting, however it is not a very good mystery book. Anyone who has read Nancey Drew books would agree with me.It is about a girl named Kathy that can not beat a girl named Ruth. Every one beleves Kathy would do anything to win a game. So when Ruth is found at the bottom of the clubs pool every one thinks Kathy murderd ruth,But did she?