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The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes #11
Too Close For Comfort
Abby Hayes is an ordinary fifth grader trying to invent a role for herself in a seemingly perfect world. This series combines the edge of BRIDGET JONES with a send-up of self-help books.
Abby's family is going camping, and Abby is allowed to bring a friend. But who? Abby's best friend Jessica has moved away -- so Abby decides to invite Hannah, a new girl in town. Then she instantly regrets her decision. Could any new friendship withstand a weekend away with the Hayeses?
Abby's family is going camping, and Abby is allowed to bring a friend. But who? Abby's best friend Jessica has moved away -- so Abby decides to invite Hannah, a new girl in town. Then she instantly regrets her decision. Could any new friendship withstand a weekend away with the Hayeses?
128 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2003
2 people are currently reading
297 people want to read
About the author
Anne Mazer
73 books102 followersQuite a lot of Anne Mazer’s writing education took place while she was unconscious. Her parents wanted desperately to become writers and made themselves get up at 4:00 a.m. Every morning in order to have writing time before their three young children awoke. The first thing Anne heard every day was two big, noisy electric typewriters. The furious sound of typing was her childhood wake-up music. During the day, her parents endlessly discussed ideas, plot, and character, and before she was seven years old, Anne knew about revisions, first and second drafts, and rejection slips. It was like growing up in a twenty four hour, seven day a week writer’s boot camp.
In order to escape from her parents’ obsession with writing, Anne turned to books. She was an avid reader from an early age and credits her love of reading for her writing career. Her favorite works were fantasy, fairy tales, historical fiction, humor, realistic fiction, and adventure. Her other interests were language, art, history, and science. At the age of twelve, she wanted to be an actress, a ballerina and a nuclear physicist. These careers were rapidly eliminated as she realized that a) she couldn’t dance, b) she couldn’t act; and c) she hated math.
Although at the time Anne thought writing was nothing but a nuisance, she now considers herself very lucky to have grown up with two aspiring writers. She learned a lot about discipline, perseverance and dedication to a craft from witnessing her parents’ struggle. They eventually became successful and award-winning young adult novelists.
It took Anne a long time to figure out that she, too, wanted to be a writer. During early adulthood, she worked as an au pair, a bank teller, a pill bottle labeler, a receptionist, an English tutor, and an administrative assistant, as well as other jobs that she was ill-suited for. She attended three universities, spent several years in Paris, traveled throughout Europe, and worked in Boston and New York City.
Anne’s “eureka” moment about writing came while she prepared a research report for one of her bosses. As she lovingly polished each sentence, and meticulously organized the paragraphs, she realized that no one really cared how beautifully she wrote about the latest models of air-conditioners. Except her, of course.
Using her parents’ model of daily writing and discipline, she began to write. It took her seven years to publish her first book, a picture book inspired by her then two year old son, Max.
Anne is the mother of an adult son and daughter. Over the last twenty years, she has written over forty-five books for young readers. She has enough ideas to last for another quarter century and hopes that she will be writing for a very long time.
Fun Facts About Anne Mazer
Her favorite foods are popcorn, rice pudding and blueberries.
When she was a kid, she would sometimes read up to ten books a day.
If she had magic powers, she'd choose invisibility.
She painted the rooms in her house yellow, orange, and violet.
One of her favorite childhood books was The Twilight of Magic, by Hugh Lofting.
When Anne was a teenager, her room was so messy that she needed a map to get from the door to the bed. (sort of)
In school Anne often flunked her favorite creative subjects, like writing and art.
In order to escape from her parents’ obsession with writing, Anne turned to books. She was an avid reader from an early age and credits her love of reading for her writing career. Her favorite works were fantasy, fairy tales, historical fiction, humor, realistic fiction, and adventure. Her other interests were language, art, history, and science. At the age of twelve, she wanted to be an actress, a ballerina and a nuclear physicist. These careers were rapidly eliminated as she realized that a) she couldn’t dance, b) she couldn’t act; and c) she hated math.
Although at the time Anne thought writing was nothing but a nuisance, she now considers herself very lucky to have grown up with two aspiring writers. She learned a lot about discipline, perseverance and dedication to a craft from witnessing her parents’ struggle. They eventually became successful and award-winning young adult novelists.
It took Anne a long time to figure out that she, too, wanted to be a writer. During early adulthood, she worked as an au pair, a bank teller, a pill bottle labeler, a receptionist, an English tutor, and an administrative assistant, as well as other jobs that she was ill-suited for. She attended three universities, spent several years in Paris, traveled throughout Europe, and worked in Boston and New York City.
Anne’s “eureka” moment about writing came while she prepared a research report for one of her bosses. As she lovingly polished each sentence, and meticulously organized the paragraphs, she realized that no one really cared how beautifully she wrote about the latest models of air-conditioners. Except her, of course.
Using her parents’ model of daily writing and discipline, she began to write. It took her seven years to publish her first book, a picture book inspired by her then two year old son, Max.
Anne is the mother of an adult son and daughter. Over the last twenty years, she has written over forty-five books for young readers. She has enough ideas to last for another quarter century and hopes that she will be writing for a very long time.
Fun Facts About Anne Mazer
Her favorite foods are popcorn, rice pudding and blueberries.
When she was a kid, she would sometimes read up to ten books a day.
If she had magic powers, she'd choose invisibility.
She painted the rooms in her house yellow, orange, and violet.
One of her favorite childhood books was The Twilight of Magic, by Hugh Lofting.
When Anne was a teenager, her room was so messy that she needed a map to get from the door to the bed. (sort of)
In school Anne often flunked her favorite creative subjects, like writing and art.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
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August 9, 2016I was obsessed with this series when I was younger, and it got me to start writing a journal, only I was terrible at it so I'd copy entries from the book and pretend they were mine. My mom sold all these books when we were moving, and I was pretty pissed at her because I'm having a hell of time finding decently priced copies anywhere in Hyderabad. I stumbled upon this one (11th in the series, I believe) the other day in a used bookstore which made me quite happy. The book holds up - it's funny and sweet, and has a coziness about it that made me walk around in a warm haze for the rest of the day.
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January 25, 2010Sometimes you don't even know how you should invite when the parent allow you to have friends for the camp. You don't want ot invite your best friend maybe because s/he is annoying or other reasons. This exactly what Abby is dealing in this book. She's so excited of the camp as a family but neverous who to invite. However, the mood of Abby changed when she met a new friend Hannah during July 4 when the family is on pinic. Eventually they made friend and Abby knows what she's going to do for the camp.
This is a children age book. I read this because I just wanted to have a over again the feeling how I was when I were young. I like the part of when the family was hiking and Abby's father lost his trail to get back. Abby was so smart and had her compus with her that rescued entire family. Phew..it was freaking out to them. This reminded of once my family and I went on the hiking too but they didn't really get lost. However, we were hiking the mountain where a lot of graves were surrounded. It was scary to me but my family gave me the encourage and I made it.
I would recommend this book to anyone because it's good. Not every child and memory of when your family went on the hiking too.
This is a children age book. I read this because I just wanted to have a over again the feeling how I was when I were young. I like the part of when the family was hiking and Abby's father lost his trail to get back. Abby was so smart and had her compus with her that rescued entire family. Phew..it was freaking out to them. This reminded of once my family and I went on the hiking too but they didn't really get lost. However, we were hiking the mountain where a lot of graves were surrounded. It was scary to me but my family gave me the encourage and I made it.
I would recommend this book to anyone because it's good. Not every child and memory of when your family went on the hiking too.
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December 20, 2013Too Close for Comfort is a book about a girl who goes on a camping trip with her family. Her family tells her that she can invite a friend to come with but her best friend had just moved away. She decides to invite the new girl at the school and at first regrets her decision. They end up working together. This book is good for upper elementary because it could relate to a lot of upper elementary students who are having to make new friends.
June 1, 2008
This book talks about how the Hayes family go on a trip to the woods and they decide to go hiking and everything. During that trip they get lost while they went hiking and all of them got really scared and they did not know what to do but it actually got all of them working together. I think that something that looks bad may not always be as bad. I recommend this book to everyone.
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November 12, 2008!!!
October 2, 2009
good book!!
July 8, 2010
this was a really good book!
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March 24, 2013 abby invited hannah to come on a camping trip and it was fun.
July 18, 2013
My childhood right here
September 15, 2013
Mystery liked this.
May 20, 2015
I think this book was amazing because the beginning was about camping and the 4 of july.I just love it and I am on to the one's I didn't read.
July 14, 2023
Lol love these books but it always makes my brain hurt how abby goes through like 3 summers and still is in the same 5th grade class 😭😭
January 12, 2010
LOVE IT
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews