Missing Abby [Library Binding]

Lee Weatherly (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

WHEN 13-YEAR-OLD EMMA bumps into her old friend Abby on the bus one Saturday afternoon, she later realizes that she was the last person to see Abby before her mysterious disappearance. Amidst the media frenzy and everyone’s struggle to come to terms with the possibility of Abby’s death, Emma starts a terrifying journey of her very own, as she uncovers things that lead to a discovery even the police have not thought of. . . .

From the acclaimed author of Child X comes a thrilling and memorable novel for readers of all abilities.

Praise for Child X:

“It is compelling, heartfelt, and sadly, totally believable. British slang will not deter the reader from racing through this gripping tale.”—VOYA, Starred


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-9–A missing person's report opens this suspenseful novel set in southern England. Abby Ryzner, a 13-year-old Goth, has vanished, and the last person to see her alive was her former best friend. Emma switched schools and distanced herself from Abby and a fantasy game the two of them had played for years after a traumatizing episode in which she was labeled a freak. With mixed emotions, Emma joins the search. Chapter titles provide a grim countdown of the passing days. Emma feels caught between two worlds–that of her new, fashionable friends and Abby's punk-looking companions who are into D & D. As she begins to hang out with Abby's friends, including Ski, a guy she can talk to, Emma finds herself, once again, absorbed by role-playing games. Knowing Abby was trying to set up a challenging, live-action game, Emma and Ski descend into the bowels of an industrial plant, armed only with flashlights against a scary, pitch-dark maze of tunnels with gurgling pipes. To their horror, they discover the truth about Abby's disappearance. The two mysteries keep readers guessing. Emma, the narrator, gradually gains strength to surmount shameful memories and learns to accept her own uniqueness. She also makes peace with Abby's family, after showing compassion and imagination in helping resolve the puzzle of their daughter's whereabouts. –Susan W. Hunter, Riverside Middle School, Springfield, VT
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 6-9. Thirteen-year-old Emma is devastated to learn that her friend Abby is missing, even though the girls had grown apart. Emma was eager to shed their childhood fantasy games, which had inspired intense bullying and derision from their classmates, while Abby became an even more outspoken enthusiast of Goth dress and Dungeons-and-Dragons-inspired role-playing. Fearing for Abby's safety, Emma reconnects with Abby's world, even as she worries that her new friends will discover her "uncool" interests. British writer Weatherly avoids formula with an unexpectedly bleak resolution to the mystery surrounding Abby. But the real focus here is on Emma's struggle to find a comfortable identity and overcome the subtle, powerful shame that victims of bullying can experience. Fans of Vivian Vande Velde's work will enjoy the suspense and fantasy gaming elements, and many young teens will see themselves in Emma, who yearns to speak truthfully without always worrying "if it fitted in or sounded right." Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: David Fickling Books (November 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385750536
• ISBN-13: 978-0385750530
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,724,129 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!, April 4, 2006

By 

Claire "Claire" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Missing Abby (Hardcover)

I think that Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly is an excellent book. The tale of Emma's search for her old best friend is heartbreaking. The book leads you on always hoping that Abby will turn up. The ending was very surprising to me and I didn't see it coming. The only problem I had with this book is that the ending isn't that exciting. I fully support this book being on the Lone Star Book List for 2006-2007. This would be a great book for anyone who likes ChickLit books but also enjoys a sadder plot. Also this book can appeal to boys and girls so it's a good candidate for a book list.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars from missprint.wordpress.com, March 29, 2007

By 

Miss Print (NYC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Missing Abby (Mass Market Paperback)

Abby is missing long before she disappears at the beginning of Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly. Narrated by Abby's former-best-friend, Emma, the plot examines how their friendship deteriorated in the past while looking at the events surrounding Abby's disappearance in the present.

This novel, Weatherly's second, uses Abby's disappearance to tell Emma's story. The novel is told in chapters, one for each day after Abby is reported missing. As the story moves farther away from that day, the focus shifts from wondering what happened to Abby as readers begin to wonder what happened between the two girls. Because at thirteen, they are still girls--a fact that is not always obvious from the narration that seems to sound more like the voice of a seventeen-year-old.

Through a strange coincidence, Emma is the last person to see Abby before she gets off a local bus and vanishes. When Emma has to report everything she remembers about that day to the police she also starts to remember their old friendship. Anger often flares up through the worry Emma shows for Abby. Weatherly handles these conflicting emotions well, her narration making it clear that Abby is missed even while Emma is still angry with her.

Just why Emma is so angry at Abby is not clear until the last half of the story. Her reasons for ending the friendship are revealed in dribs and drabs that interrupt the regular narrative: "Freak. The word slithered into my mind, breaking the spell." Through these fragments readers can piece the girls' back-story together before Emma reveals the finer details.

Weatherly maintains a level of suspense throughout the story as Emma and Abby's friends try to learn what happened to her. Emma's cryptic references to "Balden" and "Karen Stipp" also draw readers further into Emma and Abby's past. At the same time, the plot remains necessarily one-sided as Abby never gets the chance to tell her experiences.

I really like the message of this story. How, interestingly, it is only after Abby goes missing that Emma is able to realize how precious Abby was as a friend and subsequently find herself again. The writing only falters at the end, where Weatherly seems desperate to neatly tie up the loose ends of a story that was never clear-cut or neat.

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, May 23, 2009

By 

P. Persaud "Peeps" (Augusta, GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Missing Abby (Kindle Edition)

This book is exiting and very thrilling. I could not put it down. If you are a mystery lover and have not read this book you arre missing out on something. Though sad it is totally amazing.