While You Walked By

*The Wishing Shelf Finalist 2020*
‘A powerful and uplifting coming-of-age story. A FINALIST and highly recommended!’ The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

A young homeless boy.
An old man who had lost everything.
An unlikely friendship that brought healing to both.

Ben doesn’t know what to think when a homeless boy shows up late one night behind Angelo’s Bakery where he works as a handyman. He’d seen his share of suffering humanity on the streets of Philadelphia, but there was something about this boy—so young, so vulnerable. Pushing sixty and feeling as if his life has no purpose, Ben struggles with his own problems. A recovering alcoholic, he is gripped with remorse over the loss of his wife and son, but determined to stay sober.

Twelve-year-old Aden starts to run when an old man comes out of Angelo’s Bakery and catches him hiding, but something about the man draws Aden to him. Terrified and naive to life on the streets, Aden was forced to forge his own survival in the face of dangerous predators and violence after his mother abandoned him almost a year ago.

Can Aden trust the gentle old man who offers him food and a hand of friendship? Will Ben be able to forgive himself and look for his son?

While You Walked By delivers a heartfelt, coming-of-age story about the hope that can be found even in the most desperate circumstances.