Missing: Newly Rejacketed - Softcover

MacPhail, Catherine; MacPhail, Cathy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1408817349 ISBN 13: 9781408817346

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens, 2012

Synopsis

Maxine's parents had to do perhaps the worst possible thing: confirm the identity of her brother Derek's body by the clothes he was wearing when he disappeared. But then the worst possible thing really happens: Maxine receives a telephone call from somebody saying he is her brother. She can hardly believe her ears. Has Derek come back from the dead?

In this thriller, the author manages to confront many issues including: how different people deal with grief, the underrated effect of severe bullying at school, and sibling rivalry - all in a fast-paced, compelling narrative voice.

About this title

About the Author:

Catherine MacPhail won the Kathleen Fidler Award for her first novel, Run Zan Run, and the Scottish Arts Council Award for her second novel, Fighting Back. Her other books for Bloomsbury include Dark Waters, Another Me, and Missing. Catherine MacPhail's work is enormously popular with teenagers, her trademarks being a mix of humor and pacy, topical storylines.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 5-8-Maxine Moody, 13, is struggling with the disappearance of her older brother. Her emotions run from guilt for wishing Derek dead to rage at her parents' seeming indifference toward her, and her guilt deepens when her father identifies Derek's body. The Moody family begins to unravel further as her mother seeks comfort from psychics and her father refuses to talk about his son or his wife's deteriorating health. Matters worsen when someone begins calling Maxine, identifying himself as Derek. She thinks that the calls may be the doing of the vicious class bully, who had taunted her brother. Unable to turn to her parents, she confides in her new friend Cam, who agrees to go with her to meet the mystery caller. The plot initially catches readers' interest, but then it branches into many poorly developed subplots, and the thin characterizations make it difficult to care about these people and their problems. The conclusion seems contrived when all the conflicts are solved and Derek returns home. Fans of the mystery/suspense genre will be better served with titles by Caroline Cooney and Lois Duncan.
Angela M. Ottman, Merton Williams' Middle School, Hilton, NY
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1408817349
• ISBN 13: 9781408817346
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208