Missing

by Cathy MacPhail

Maxine's parents had to do perhaps the worst possible 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 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 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.

Genres: Mystery, Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Thriller, Mystery Thriller

208 pages, Paperback

First published August 21, 2000

About the author

Catherine MacPhail

Reviews

[Katie (Kitkatscanread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this was a short story about a girl, and her mum and dad who have a missing brother/son.
One day Maxine receives phone calls with a strange voice claiming it's her brother.
So really this is a mystery/thriller story.
It's quite short, which was nice.
Considering this book was published 17 years ago, it's not a bad shout.
Maxine annoyed me for most of the book, bit then her character did develop. Also her parents annoyed me at the start too bit they also developed.
My favourite character was Cam. What I liked was that Catherine wrote his as Chinese, so this was a nice surprise. But he just seemed quirky and cute and I totally shipped him with Maxine.
If you want a quick thriller read then give this a go!

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was a good book but it was a fast read.

[Ericaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I read is Missing by Catherine Macphail. I read this book because I saw it on my teachers shelve and it looked good so I read it. This book is a nonfiction book and it takes place in England in what seems like a town. There is one main character Maxine Moody who is a teen and full of problems. There are also three other character that are not main character’s but there are part of the book the first one is Cam be is two years older than Maxine and he gets made fun of because he is Chinese but he lives in England and he gets picked on by Sweeny who is mean and big but has no brains and use fear to control people. The third character is Derek who is Maxine brother who ran away a few years ago and is now dead but Maxine doesn’t know. The story is about Maxine who is just trying to be normal but that is not working out because her brother Derek is dead and parents not even giving her the time of day and when her brothers old classmate comes to help her doesn’t want it until a phone call comes and the person on the other end is Derek and Maxine is going to find out why he is calling if he is dead.
The main conflict is that Maxine doesn’t want her brother back because he always gets the attention and when he starts to call it sends her into a bad thinking because she thinks someone is playing a joke on her and doesn’t believe that her brother is alive and one night Sweeney is making fun of and calls her maxie witch is what only her brother would call her so than she thinks it is Sweeney calling but cam doesn’t think so and he may be right.
The problem is over when Maxine goes to the graveyard and her brother saves her and Cam from Sweeney and comes home and in the end watches a move with his sister and Cam.
This was a really good book and I hope that lots of people read it and love it just the way I did.

[Ahnika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the suspense and how the story unfolded. Also I loved how it ended up being a happily ever after and I like how it has a message about bullying.

[Erica Markel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I personally enjoyed this book, it may have been easy to read, but the suspense is what keeps you going.

[Payton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have recently read the book Missing by Catherine Macphail. Although the exact genre is hard to say, I would call it a realistic fiction. I found it sort of creepy, in a non-morbid, but interesting way. It was about a family of four with a younger daughter who had a brother named Derek who had run away, and later been identified dead. The hardest part of reading this is that I was this girl, this was my family, now, of course it wasn’t actually me, but I am the younger sister of Derek, and we are just a family of four, and I couldn’t help but imagining this happening to me. In the book, the sister of Derek, Maxine starts receiving mysterious phone calls from her brother. Is it a ghost? A prank? Is he actually alive? As I read on, I myself, ventured along with Maxine and her family as they grieved for their lost, and Maxine, without her family knowing, trying to solve this mystery of the person calling her. Part of the book that is extremely important, is the relationship between the characters, which would be that Maxine feels as if all her parents ever cared about was Derek, and now after his death, she has been forgotten, and her mother seems to be one more medium visit where she speaks to her dead son short of the loony bin. If Maxine had a stronger bond with her parents she could have told them about the phone calls, and it could have been settled, but instead she had to independently figure it out, and up until the point of family psychiatry, they couldn’t understand each others feelings, and much less their own. Maxine and her family are very religious, and whoever it is making the calls agrees to meet Maxine after so long at the church, where she finds out that her brother really is alive! He really had switched clothes with a kid who looked like him, and they had thought that was Derek. Derek didn’t want to return to his family, because he knew it would hurt them. As the reader, finding out he is alive is a shocking and happy moment, but for Maxine, it could mean even less recognition from her family, as they will be ecstatic over Derek. But in the end, it all ends up perfectly fine with a better than ever family. For some people, this may have just been some book that is spooky about a ghost, but turns out as a happily-ever-after, but for me it was more. I enjoyed it a lot, and it meant a ton to me as well. At first it was coincidental that there was this family that had its problems like mine, and the younger sisters had an older brother named Derek, which is just describing my family. But then we learn that Derek runs away, and it scare me because as much as my brother and I don’t get along, I don’t want anything to happen to me, and my mother wants our family to go to family therapy just like Maxine’s mother did, and Maxine thought it wouldn’t work as I did, but now, I might just have to give it a shot.

[Amanda B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very intrigued with mysterious stories, and being that my cousin read this book she highly suggested it for me. Luckily, I truly enjoyed this book. The story traces Maxine Moody’s changing life after her brother Derek decides to run away. Her brother’s disappearance led to a kind of downfall in her family life. Maxine began to feel estranged from her parents and questioning if she should have left. Although she had these feelings, she had cynical emotions towards her brother; Maxine missed him for a fact but had this content feeling of him possibly being dead.

The way in which Macphail tells this story makes it relatable to many readers. Perhaps not in the sense of loosing a sibling, but showing the relationships between a child and their family. I see myself in Maxine because she has cynical feelings towards her brother, but not to the extent of wishing my sisters to be dead. See, I love my sisters but if they do something that bothers me or sets me off, sometimes I will get the feeling that they will be hurt by karma. At the end of the day, I love them dearly but I still have to continue my life. This book really put things in perspective in respects to someone who has a sibling and parents. The environment in which kids grow up in is essential to their development. If parents aren’t acknowledging them then there will be an uneasy feeling amongst everyone. Although I believe people shouldn’t dwell on things, if they are so grand and they highly affect you, it’s hard to avoid it. In the end, the book was really good and if people like mysteries I highly suggest it.

[Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever since Maxine's brother went missing, it seems like she can't get any attention from her parents. They seem to ignore her as they continue holding out hope that their long-time missing son will finally return home. This routine has been going on for so long that Maxine can't help but think the unthinkable - she actually wishes that her brother would be found dead! That way, she reasons, she will get the attention back that she's been missing since her brother's disappearance. What DID happen to her brother? Who is responsible for his mysterious vanishing act? Is there any hope that he's still alive, or will Maxine's secret desire come to fruition?

This story is quick and easy to read. The slithery plot generated some suspense but, personally, it didn't hold my attention well and I couldn't wait to finish it to start on a book I thought I would enjoy more. On a positive note, it has garnered a lot of interest among middle school girls, which really seems to be the target audience of the writing.

[Diana Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not based on a true story. The book is about a young girl named Maxine and her older brother named Derek. Maxine's brother goes missing and from that point on everything at home goes wrong. Her parents don't pay attention to her because they are worried about what has happened to Derek. Throughtout the whole book she experinces all types of things. She gets bullied by the same bully that bullied her brother, skips school, and doesn't even come home sometimes and she tries to find ways to know if her brother actually died or if he is still alive.

I gave the book 5 stars because I really enjoyed reading it. It was the first book that i actually finished on my own in less than a week. while reading it i felt like i was actually there with Maxine going through everything she went through and i felt like i could almost feel per emotions and all the stress she was going through

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was not my favorite book. I used it for my mystery unit when I taught 8th grade. The kids really liked it, although I though the characters were annoying and stupid. This year one of my sophomores picked it up and read it. She loved it and told all of her friends. Now several students have red it and really like it. The premise is creepy. Maxine is getting phone calls from her dead brother. She spends the rest of the book trying to figure out what is really going on.
The one thing I really don't like about this book is that you can flip to last page and immediately see how it ends. That ruins the mystery of it. It is definitely more fun if you don't cheat. My main problem with the book is how the 2 main characters Maxine and Cam were written. They were just very unrealistic and much less mature than they should have been.

[Noahm · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked this book it was better than it looked

this book is by catherine macphail. i chose this book because it seemed like an interesting story from the back so i read a couple of pages then decided to keep reading. i finished this book in about 4 days.
this book whas about a girl that had a brother that ran away he ran away because he couldent take the way his parents were treating him. when he left there was another boy he switched cloths with him and then that boy died in a fire that night well his hole family thought he was dead his mom was going crazy. and so was his sisster so she thought the brother kept trying to get aholed of his sister and then finally he did and he said he was alive but she didnt believe him. finally after several calls she wants to meet him and he doesent show his face but in the end he does show his face and they go home.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Missing. It was a suspenseful page turner about Maxine getting strange calls and seeing her 'dead' brother, Derek. With nobody at home to trust (her mom going crazy and her dad always blaming her) she tries to find out what's going on, alone with help from a classmate, Cam. But to be honest, Maxine wants Derek to be dead. She thinks all her parents care about is Derek, Derek, Derek. This is an amazing story about bullying and what the effects after can be. I recommend this highly! Since I read it a lot yesterday and today, I could feel Maxine's emotions through this book. If you are thinking about reading this book, check it out. (Note* there is some language) If you read it, comment your thoughts on it.

[Monique · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book for kind of just because. its fiction but it could be real. the setting takes place somewhere but it doesnt say exactally. the main character is maxine who has a brother but he ran away. so what happens is that derek her brother ran away for months and his parents go to londom to identify this body but they think its him. so the mom is really sad and maxine skips school all the time. the main problem i guess is that maxine gets a call from derek when he is supose to be dead. the problem is resolved by him finally coming at the end. the book was good it wasnt the best but it was good.

[Stephen Alff (AlffBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book. It is quite different to what I usually read, as in the topic as well as the fact that it's not fantasy which I would usually read.
The story is well written, and brought tears to my eyes on multiple occasions while reading. The story is told from Maxine's(Maxie) point of view, a 13 year old, and deals with the disappearance of her older brother and how she feels.
It is quite a quick read in terms of length/time spent reading I only needed a few hours, an evening in more than enough.

[Crissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I choose this book because it look good and the cover looked intresting and the first page was good when i read it. I think it non fiction. the setting is all over its not in one spot its like at her house, a church, at shcool, and a cemitary.Derek is missing for awhile they think hes dead and he had been calling his sister but she thinks somebody is messing with her. But she found out that he was alive and he came back home. I really liked this book i think people would love it.

[Caidy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book! I am a huge fan of suspense and mystery and this book really kept my attention the whole time. Lots of the book had me thinking one thing would happen while the complete opposite does and thats what made me love it even more. The one thing that I did not like were the parts about the Mighty Zola because it wasn't very necessary and I could do without. Other than that, I loved the book and would love a sequel!!!

[Allie Wollenweber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked the book. I thought it was easy to understand what was going on, and it was a good story line. It kept me interested throughout the book. I liked how the character related to me so much and the details and just the whole book was good. I overall thought the book was really good and I don'd have anything bad to say about the book.

[Maddie Clemmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this book was pretty good. It kept me engaged throughout the book, because I wanted answers. I thought that the ending was a bit abrupt, but it was still good. It was well written and it was easy to understand.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Liked
1. It was short.
2. It was an easy read.
3. For being a YA Mystery novel, the suspense at the end keeps the Reader interested.

What I Didn't Like
1. It was rather repetitive and there are so many times you can change up "Mum hates me and loves Derek" and "I am glad Derek is dead" and "Dad is only concerned with Mum" and "nobody cares about me" into non-repetitive phrases and passages.

[Rena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this book is very relating. It is also very heart touching when Derek loves his little sister so much that he would come out of hiding to see her face. I loved how they over come the bullies, together and think cam and her would be really cute together as a couple.

[Sue Corbett · Rating 3 out of 5]

YA I think . Ok story but I’m not convinced a bully wouldn’t be expelled (I’d expect police involvement) after a child he’d bullied had run away. School would certainly have been pulled up for it too.

[Lizzie Striker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when it first came out a long time ago and never forgot about it. It was wonderful to revisit this story and enjoy it again. I honestly think this would be a great book to be rewritten for adults - maybe from the perspective of one of the adult characters? Overall, great read.

[Wiktoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this is a great book for younger teens, very easy to read. However, I personally didn’t enjoy it as much as I expected. I’m Polish and this was one of my first books I’ve read in english and it was way too easy even for me 😂

[Cybelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

The entire plot was a predictable cliche. From the beginning, it had felt like I was reading a manuscript for a cartoon rather than a book; there was no depth, introspection, character development, etc. To even attempt to target YA readers with this book is ridiculous.

[Adrianne Rosal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very suspenseful for a very easy read.

[Yasbree · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a serious and important topic, but I didn't like the writing style. 3.5 stars

[Kmario]

Where and when does the story play out?

[Sara Jasinski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting, a few good plot twists. A great book for a reluctant middle school reader!

[Malandune · Rating 1 out of 5]

das hätte ich nicht mal mit 12 spannend gefunden. versucht einen wichtigen Punkt über Mobbing zu machen aber den trifft es leider gar nicht

[Noah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book