Case of the Missing She-Geek

Lizzie McGuire Mysteries #3

by Lisa Banim

In a (failed) effort to be cool in school, Lizzie hurts the feelings of major she-geek Audrey Albright. It's a total mistake and Lizzie wants to apologize-but Audrey's disappeared. She was last seen in the girls' room, crying. Then she doesn't come to school for days. With Gordo and Miranda in tow, Lizzie follows a trail of clues to a science-fiction convention, where Larry Tudgeman becomes their guide through the underworld of geekdom. But is Lizzie really ready to go where no cool kid (like ever!) has gone before?

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Media Tie In, Tv, Childrens, Middle Grade

125 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I saw the ending coming a mile away, I still enjoyed this story from the Lizzie McGuire Expanded Universe.

[Jack Reynolds · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. Really. It was very challenging in itself TBH. But in the end, Case of the Missing She-Geek didn't work out for me. Lizzie wasn't a complete brat this book, but the mystery just felt really bitter and mean-spirited in the sense that the "IF WE ASSOCIATE WITH GEEKS, WE ARE OVER!" mentality needs to die in a fire. I also didn't feel invested in what was going on and it was to the point where the small improvements from Lizzie's last case didn't hold any weight.

The build-up was bad, the new characters were bad, the plot was bad, honestly everything was bad. And the reveal at the end didn't make it any better. To me, it felt incredibly unrealistic and undermined the suspense that this case had going for it.

So in the end, the third mystery in the Lizzie McGuire Mystery series was colossally lame. This could have been executed so much better than it was and that's what mainly disappoints me. Hopefully the next one is better.

[MaHfEr · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the worst one form the series. It was so boring, but it would be a good Disney Channel episode, tho.

[James Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this story Lizzie manages to insult someone who happens to be a fan of a particular TV series, and by insulting her she also indirectly insults the others in the school who also like the show. People start being cold and nasty to Lizzie, but there's something that's more significant, and that is that the girl Lizzie insulted has disappeared.


Lizzie wanted to apologize to the girl for what she said, but try as she may she can't find a trace of the girl anywhere. Even with the help of Miranda and Gordo they are still unable to find any clue as to where the girl has gone. The last chance is for all three of them to attend a science fiction convention, in costume, something which bothers Lizzie and Miranda quite a bit as only “geeks” would do such a thing.


They attend the convention and find out the missing girl has been under their noses all along. They also find out that putting other people down as being “geeks” really isn't the right thing to do, and that the interests of people who are considered “geeks” shouldn't just automatically be ignored as being beneath the popular and “right” students.

Another mystery not based on a specific episode, this one has more of a message to it, in relation to the idea of not putting people down simply because their interests are not the same as yours. A good story.