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The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes #9
Out of Sight, Out of Mind
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 is desolate when her best friend, Jessica, goes away to spend several months with her dad. Abby promises Jessica she'll handle her baby-sitting job, but soon Abby gets fired. Will anything ever go right with Jessica away?
Abby is desolate when her best friend, Jessica, goes away to spend several months with her dad. Abby promises Jessica she'll handle her baby-sitting job, but soon Abby gets fired. Will anything ever go right with Jessica away?
144 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2002
4 people are currently reading
245 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 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 7, 2010
This book that I'm reading now is really good. Its about a girl named Abby & her best friend Jessica is going to live with her dad, for 2months ! So Abby & some of Jessica's other friends,tell Jessica that they'll take care of her responsibilities for her ! So Abby decided to take on the responsibility of baby-sitting a little boy. She's even going to get paid too ! But one night she goes to a soccer game with her friends and forgets that she has baby-sitting. She gets fired and her older sister is her replacement. She's really scared that Jessica is going too be disappointed in her because she counted on Abby to do a good job . Now Abby is scared of what Jessica is going away . I think this book is good, it teaches you a lot about responsibility and it teaches you that everything you do, there will be consequences maybe good, maybe bad.
July 16, 2011
Abby friend Jessica is going to meet her farther in Oregon for one semester. Alll of her friend s for sad to see her go but they know that Jessica have not seen her father sense she was four years old. Abby really don't want her to left because Jessica always help on her math. Abby is going to be clueless with out her.
August 12, 2011
I like the character a lot. My daughter has read a few books in this series and I wanted to see what the stories were about. I like the content and the lessons learned-- how to handle responsibilities, dealing with friendships and just figuring out how to get out of your own quandaries.
June 18, 2008
Thought that this book would make a really good televised series. I have re-read it a couple of times.
January 15, 2009
My favorite one, this one is so emotional and hits very close to home sadly.
September 8, 2009
I simply love Anne Mazer
November 17, 2009
about baby sitting
December 3, 2009
abby finally raised up her grade really good book
July 8, 2010
good book!
March 7, 2012
Abby's best friend Jessica has went away.She made it without her.Auryn 8yo
October 6, 2023
This is my favourite book. I love Abby Hayes
April 28, 2008
This is an example of how two friends work their promblems out. Very nice book!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews