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While You Were Out
Returning to school after the summer in which her best friend Tim died of cancer, eleven-year-old Penelope finds her life complicated by the fact that her father has become the school janitor. Reprint. Jr Lib Guild.
- GenresFictionFriendship
144 pages, Paperback
Published July 6, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 18, 2017
i loved it!
June 14, 2017
Penelope faces a new school year without best friend Tim, who died of cancer
January 8, 2024
This reminded of a Jerry Spinelli - nothing much seems to happening and then suddenly you’re sobbing.
February 2, 2009
Publisher: Puffin Books
Language used: English
Number of pages: 132
Where did I get this book?: I borrowed it from the school's library
A li'l bit of review:
Penelope is a fifth grader. She just lost her best firend ever, Tim, who died because of cancer. Since, Penelope's life had been upside down. She no longer had somebody to talk to, to laugh with, nor to discuss with.
Penelope had a hard time to cope with her loss. she was mad to everything cause everything around her stayed the same, but for her, her life had completely changed since tim's death. During the summer holiday, she even underwent a therapy, a Poetry Therapy, that was expected to heal her wound.
Let me tell you a li'l bit of Poetry Therapy. It's a therapy where you're expected to name things (anything: feelings-mostly, animals, shoes, whatever) based on their characteristics. Like Penelope's shoes, for instance. She named them Slick and Smooth, cause they're new, smooth, shiny, and they don't remind her of Tim. Or, just like when Penelope felt lonely, she named herself Lone Ranger.
The whole family of hers joins the therapy as well. Her Dad named himself Green Frog, cause he felt a li'l bit jumpy and green on his first day working as janitor in Penelope's school.
Anyway, let's get back to the story. Penelope, finally, found a way how to "talk" to Tim. She writes plenty of messages on the "While You were You" notes. It's the kind of notes that you'll leave on your fridge or next to your phone so somebody can read it later on once they arrive at home. So our Penelope did that. She wrote msgs to Tim, simple ones, like telling about school stuff, her Dad's job, everything. Everytime she finished writing, she just shoved the msgs into Tim's (used to be) desk next to hers.
After a while, Penelope got some msgs for her her. Though, deep down inside, she expected it was Tim who had been sending her, she just knew that it wasn't Tim...(of course not, duhh!). Those msgs for her were calming
Language used: English
Number of pages: 132
Where did I get this book?: I borrowed it from the school's library
A li'l bit of review:
Penelope is a fifth grader. She just lost her best firend ever, Tim, who died because of cancer. Since, Penelope's life had been upside down. She no longer had somebody to talk to, to laugh with, nor to discuss with.
Penelope had a hard time to cope with her loss. she was mad to everything cause everything around her stayed the same, but for her, her life had completely changed since tim's death. During the summer holiday, she even underwent a therapy, a Poetry Therapy, that was expected to heal her wound.
Let me tell you a li'l bit of Poetry Therapy. It's a therapy where you're expected to name things (anything: feelings-mostly, animals, shoes, whatever) based on their characteristics. Like Penelope's shoes, for instance. She named them Slick and Smooth, cause they're new, smooth, shiny, and they don't remind her of Tim. Or, just like when Penelope felt lonely, she named herself Lone Ranger.
The whole family of hers joins the therapy as well. Her Dad named himself Green Frog, cause he felt a li'l bit jumpy and green on his first day working as janitor in Penelope's school.
Anyway, let's get back to the story. Penelope, finally, found a way how to "talk" to Tim. She writes plenty of messages on the "While You were You" notes. It's the kind of notes that you'll leave on your fridge or next to your phone so somebody can read it later on once they arrive at home. So our Penelope did that. She wrote msgs to Tim, simple ones, like telling about school stuff, her Dad's job, everything. Everytime she finished writing, she just shoved the msgs into Tim's (used to be) desk next to hers.
After a while, Penelope got some msgs for her her. Though, deep down inside, she expected it was Tim who had been sending her, she just knew that it wasn't Tim...(of course not, duhh!). Those msgs for her were calming
January 6, 2013
I originally wanted to read this book because it was written by my dad's cousin. It's just 131 pages, and written for ages 8 and up, but as an adult I really enjoyed it.
It is the story of 5th grader Penelope and her best friend, Tim, who recently died. Penelope is struggling with grief and the loss of her best friend (and in her mind, only friend). The story is good and realistic. I felt her sadness and understood why she was so angry. I think anyone who has ever lost someone close to them would enjoy this book (and relate to it)
It is the story of 5th grader Penelope and her best friend, Tim, who recently died. Penelope is struggling with grief and the loss of her best friend (and in her mind, only friend). The story is good and realistic. I felt her sadness and understood why she was so angry. I think anyone who has ever lost someone close to them would enjoy this book (and relate to it)
January 30, 2011
3.5 Penelope's best friend Tim died. Though it wasn't unexpected, Penelope is consumed in grief as she begins 5th grade without her best friend. It doesn't help that her father has taken the job of school custodian and continually embarrasses her in front of her classmates. Penelope begins writing notes to Tim and is surprised when someone starts
writing her back. Is it possible that she can find another friend? A touching, gentle story about working through the grieving process.
writing her back. Is it possible that she can find another friend? A touching, gentle story about working through the grieving process.
April 22, 2012
Middle school book (5th grade and up). Novel to suggest to children if they have lost a loved one. Reassuring and comforting.
Want to read
February 6, 2013its awesome
January 22, 2014
That was a good book.
June 6, 2015
Heart wrenching an emotional
January 5, 2016
I'd love to read another book with these characters. Very touching. Her portrayal of how elementary school kids act and think recalls how I felt in those long-ago days.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews