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Missing Abby

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 419 ratings · 72 reviews

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...more

Mass Market Paperback, 208 pages

Published December 18th 2008 by Laurel Leaf (first published July 1st 2004)

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May 18, 2007 Emma rated it 3 of 5 stars

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 shif...more 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.(less)

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Aug 25, 2008 Eve rated it 4 of 5 stars

Emma hasn't seen Abby for ages, so when she sees Abby on the bus one day, it's weird enough and even more horrible when it turns out the Abby has gone missing and Emma was the last person to see her. Emma then joins the search to find Abby, which forces her to come to terms with her past, her friends and what might have happened to Abby. And, by the time the truth is discovered, it has changed Emma's life forever. This book is well written but there are many parts that may make you cry. Still, i...more

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Dec 28, 2007 Abby Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It starts with a missing persons report. Emma is shocked to read in the paper about her former best friend Abby who's gone missing. She's even more shocked to find out that Emma was the last one to see her. As the book's chapters count the days since Abby went missing, we find out more about Emma and why she fell out with Abby. She's hiding some things from her new friends and from her parents... and maybe from herself. As Emma works to find Abby, she is forced to deal with some buried feelings...more

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Sep 08, 2012 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is more of a middle grade book, but I just so happened to find it in the YA section of my library. Emma and Abby were best friends when they were much younger. They would pretend to be wizards and whatever else their creative minds imagined. Emma drew away from Abby after constantly being harassed and bullied by classmates especially by Karen. Abby still wanted to live in her fantasy world and even tried to still include Emma even though it was clear she wanted nothing to do with it anymore...more This is more of a middle grade book, but I just so happened to find it in the YA section of my library. Emma and Abby were best friends when they were much younger. They would pretend to be wizards and whatever else their creative minds imagined. Emma drew away from Abby after constantly being harassed and bullied by classmates especially by Karen. Abby still wanted to live in her fantasy world and even tried to still include Emma even though it was clear she wanted nothing to do with it anymore if it meant getting bullied. Emma moves away to a new school away from Abby and her terrible bullying past. Emma makes new friends Debbie and Jo and is completely accepted at her new school. One day on her way home she meets up with Abby again and they talk for a little while on the bus. Abby still tries to persuade Emma into playing a game called Dungeons and Dragons. Emma clearly wants nothing to do with it and they both sadly realize that. The next morning Emma finds out about Abby going missing and Emma was the last person to see her. Emma talks with the police along with Abby's new gothic like friends who like the same fantasy games as she does. One in particular does not accept Emma at first. Eventually though through Abby's disappearance and determination to find her they all befriend one another and work together to find their lost friend. This book was moving and touching. The ending result wasn't what I expected just like everyone else in the book I expected the worse. I think the main character Emma was whiny at times. It was more like she was feeling sorry for herself more so than her long lost friend Abby. She constantly kept blaming herself for Abby's disappearance which Sheila sort of did too, but that's still stupid. There would have to be a bigger reason behind it like the police said. Now that Abby had gone missing she finally starts realizing that she should have been a better friend to her. I liked Emma's determination to find Abby, but the whining about herself was annoying. Overall a good read.(less)

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Feb 25, 2010 Keyani added it

Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly
In this book Missing Abby by Lee Weatherly, everything starts off by Abby missing. Abby and Emma were best friends, and when Emma read the report about Abby gone missing, she was very shocked. Many people were worried about Abby missing, but mostly Emma, because she was the last one to see her. Even though Abby and Emma weren’t best friends any more when Abby went missing, Emma was still very worried about her because she was the last one to see Abby, and she felt li...more

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Sep 29, 2010 Gabriela rated it 5 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 23, 2012 Johnp rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, drama, crime, female-lead

Teenage Emma starts her day like any other - until she sees a report in the morning paper that her childhood friend Abby is missing. It turns out Emma was the last to see Abby (the day before on the bus). Something happened in the past that caused these two friends to separate, and that makes Emma feel the need to investigate Abby’s disappearance. What follows are flashbacks from Emma’s younger days, with the reader slowly piecing together what could have happened between Emma and Abby. Througho...more

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Sep 12, 2008 Kaytrina rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: bestbooksever

From this book,I learned that there is more than meets the eye in people and that,if a friend seems like they were going to do something potentially dangerous,try your best to at least let someone come along with them wherever they go,so if they do get hurt,they can either be notified of or helped.

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Mar 02, 2008 Marin rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: anyone who appreciates books

Recommended to Marin by: the librarian at my school

i loved this book a lot. a girl named abby goes missing right after she talks to a former friend, emma. after 14 days emma finds her dead in a basement of an old building they used to play in when they were little.

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Nov 04, 2009 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2008, contemporary

Ages 11+ (mild language - "shit" and a few "bitch"es)

Thirteen year old Emma was the last person to see Abby before she went missing. The two estranged friends had run into each other on a city bus. Emma, in her trendy clothes, running from the shared past of loving fantasy and making up adventures; distancing herself from everything that D&D playing goth Abby represented. As she gets involved in the search for Abby, Emma begins to realize that her old self isn't as gone as she thought it wa...more

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Sep 06, 2007 Yok Pichchapa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite

I really liked this book, Well the end was actually rather shocking... people who have patients, and love mystery books should really read it. i really recommened it.

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Jan 05, 2008 ChingyPingy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

I haven't read a "young adult" book for a while - this one was great! Kept me guessing till the very end.

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Jul 02, 2010 Charlotte added it Recommends it for: people who love a good adventure

Recommended to Charlotte by: found it at a library

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Mar 18, 2012 Jessica rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, borrowed, fiction, library, ya, mystery

Another YA book that I was all bored with/meh about until about halfway through - then the mystery grabbed me. It was probably a 3.5 for me, if we could give half stars. The story of a teen girl who runs into her former best friend one day on a bus - they talk briefly, and then part ways as she gets off on her stop. The next day she learns that her friend never made it to her destination, and is now missing. The story follows her as she comes to terms with some of the reasons that their friendsh...more

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May 10, 2012 Emmeline_girl rated it 3 of 5 stars

I thought Missing Abby was a really interesing book.I was worried that her friends would leave her because she was going weird and freaking out a lot, but I was happy it all resolved. I thought it was good because it showed what affects had happened to a girl when a girl who's her ex best friend is pronnounced missing. I like that she is determined to find out what happened to her friend Abby. Emma is shown to have trouble realising that she left her friend for different people and that she real...more

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Aug 22, 2009 Keri (JD) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: d-d, tradgedy, ya-fiction

So this morning(yesterday morning now) I went by the library to pick up a Sara Douglass book and this book here was sitting, propped on the shelf. The cover art was inviting and colorful. So I picked it up, hesitantly as it was in the Young Adult section.

This book was REALLY touching, and a very easy read. It made me cry. Word. But what books don't? It really displayed the dynamics of geeks and their feelings of being from a different world than normal people and some of the harsh things they ex...more

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Feb 04, 2009 the_gunners_babe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: lee-weatherly

Language used: English
Number of Pages : 199
Where did I get this book? : I borrowed this one from the school's library.
A li'l bit of review:
This story tells about a search of a missing girl, named Abby. One thing to notice, there isn't chapter in this book. The author divides the story based on the days of Abby's missing. So instead of having "Chapter One" to "Chapter Fourteen", this book has "Day One" to "Day Fourteen". Get it? :D
The one that narrates the story is Abby's childhood friend, Emma L...more

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May 15, 2009 Violet rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: realistic-fiction, mystery, 5-stars, british

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Send you to tears, kind of story. It shows that great friendships never really die.

***

Okay second time to read it. I still think it is a very sad book. It's not only because Abby ends up to have died, but because the great friendship was ruined because of the meanness of girls.

I've never ever had the kind of friendship that Abby and Emma had. The one that they've been friends for years and pratically live at each other's houses and all that. I've come close to that but it was never the same as t...more Send you to tears, kind of story. It shows that great friendships never really die.

***

Okay second time to read it. I still think it is a very sad book. It's not only because Abby ends up to have died, but because the great friendship was ruined because of the meanness of girls.

I've never ever had the kind of friendship that Abby and Emma had. The one that they've been friends for years and pratically live at each other's houses and all that. I've come close to that but it was never the same as the ones in books and movies. The same closeness of two best friends, I've never fully had. I'd always wish for that kind of friendship, always. So as a person that has always wished for a very close friendship, I can't help but ask how could Emma could possibly give that up? Now I've never really been picked on, so I can't relate. But that still doesn't give an excuse to end a perfect friendship. And then go and try your best to fit in, in another school? Come on. Friends that you have to think about what they would not think is "freaky" are not real friends in my book. Of course it's different when you actually in that situation. Who knows if I would do what I said I would do in real life.

Another thing in this book that hit close to my wants is the fantasy live-action playing. I always loved acting things out, acting like a different person in a different situation (never in front of people, though). But I never had a friend that was really into it, so I didn't do it much. I always wanted to. As I was reading the book my want came out of hiding and showed itself again, and now I really want it. But I know is will soon go back into the depths of my heart, due to other resent wants and worries. *sigh*

Ah, the simplicity of childhood. How I wish I could go back in time to the when I was so carefree and playful. I really want to go back to those times. Everything is so complicated now and I know that things will get even more complicated as I go on to high school and college. I could tell that Emma wanted to go back in time too, back to the time where Abby and her were still best friends and they played with no fear of being picked on. Now, there's something we have in common.

Another thing we have in common is the fact that we write. I guess my want to act different people and situations out as come out in my writing, just like it did for Emma. Though, I write about different things than Emma, we are basically both very imaginative.

Gosh! I must stop before I start to make this reveiw a list of all my wants and wishs or more simply put a dairy entry. Okay, it was a very good emotional (Now I know why I like it so much! I love strong emotions!) book.(less)

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Jun 16, 2010 Alan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

A coming of age book in which a girl, Abby, has had an opportunity to start over with new friends at a new school. All seems to go wrong when her old life forces itself into her new life. Abby is forced to come to terms with who she used to be and who she was running away from, herself. Will she lose her new friends as they meet the girl who was bullying her from her old school, or will they dessert her when they find out about her old friend Emma and the make believe world Abby and Emma use to...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Cerridwen rated it 5 of 5 stars

I had been meaning to read this book for a while but I never got around to it until recently. I would always start on the first few pages but I couldn't get into it for some reason. I'm happy that I finally gave the book a chance.

"Missing Abby" is about a girl named Emma. One day her old friend, Abby, goes missing. Emma and some of Abby's friends go through the struggle on trying to find their dear friend.

(Also if you are a fan of the Dungeons and Dragons game this is the book for you.)

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Sep 19, 2011 Isabella Kuo rated it 4 of 5 stars

it was a really good book, yet very sad. The main character in the book is called Emma L. Townsend. I'd say that emma's a caring friend, and that she never meant to dump abby as a friend. I think even though abby and emma didn't keep in touch for a long time, they're really good friends and still think about each other and never wanted to be separated at the first place. i didn't think that abby would die... but when i finished the book, i was a bit shocked. i think it was a depressing thing for...more

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Sep 18, 2011 Claudia Choi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

Emma and Abby WERE best friends. Emma moves school and makes new friends and forgets about Abby for a moment. Abby and Emma met on a bus. Emma is glad she is not friends with Abby anymore. Emma runs of the bus and runs away. She is freaked with Abby. The next day Abby goes missing. Gone. Disappeared. Emma was the last person too see Abby. Will Abby be found? Will Emma and Abby be friends again?

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Oct 31, 2011 An rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 40-book-challenge-gr7

At first, I thought (from reading the blurb and looking at the cover) it was really, really boring. It turns out, once again, you can't really judge a book by its blurb. The first page had me hooked. All the mystery...what was/who was Balden Comp? Was Abby okay? Towards the end, it got a bit creepy. I really, really, really liked this book.

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May 21, 2008 Mayla rated it 5 of 5 stars

After bumping into a former best friend named Emma (the narrator), Abby goes off into the woods and plays, "role-playing", by herself. Not excepting her invitation, Emma realizes that she is the last person who has seen Abby since her disappearance. Emma goes on a journey to find her childhood best friend and she discovers something shocking; Abby, who once was so close to her, has died.

Missing Abby is truly one of the more mysterious books as it is beautiful. Its mysterious side has to do with...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Kaithe rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: grade-6-shelf

Missing Abby is such a great book!

Emma and Abby used to be best friends. They met on the bus one day. They talked to each other how is each other's life. Abby changed everything changed in her. Emma said her one last goodbye got of the bus and the next day Abby was missing...

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Aug 06, 2009 Liz rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

I reread this book today, and I was surprised at the humanity in it. Lee Weatherly is an awesome writer, and I could get inside the main character's head, even though I'm much older than her. This is one book I must remember to re-read every so often.

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Feb 07, 2010 Avi rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery

This book was one of the best modern mysteries that I have ever read! The ending was sad though but I enjoyed the characters. I also liked the goth/ emo/ punk main character Abby and her crew. A book that everyone should read at least once.

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Apr 16, 2010 Heather rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

This book was haunting. It hurt after I read it but it was so good. A book I will never forget. It was so simple and true to human nature. No gimmicks. Good book but in a weird way, my heart hurts still just thinking about it.

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Apr 19, 2009 Joana rated it 4 of 5 stars

So basically Abby and Emma used to be friends. Emma always thought that Abby was weird. Emma moved to another school. One day Abby went missing and Emma was the last person to see her on the bus.Emma wants to find out what happens to Abby so she went with Abby's new friends to find what happened to Abby.

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Feb 05, 2009 Kisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Damn! Preps and goths can be really big bitches! (note: got three books from the library today. I read this one first and didn't set in down once until it was finished)

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About Lee Weatherly

Lee Weatherly was born in 1967 and grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. She lives with her husband in Hampshire, England, where she writes, goes on walks, collects frogs, and has a cat named Bernard.

Lee Weatherly also writes under the pseudonyms L.A. Weatherly, Kitty Wells, and Titania Woods.

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