PUB DATE: May 2007
I heard about this book and I was curious to read it. I was lucky enough to find this at my library. I was surprised to find it in their new release section.
The book is written as a journal/dairy entries. It made for a quick and easy read. The book is about Maxine and her struggle to overcome the lose of her best friend, Leah.
Maxine is a 12 years old girl. She has five best friends, Leah (who is her best best friend), Lexi, Emma, Kelsey and Amanda.
Leah and Maxine have discovered the internet and the darker side of it. They are going into chat rooms and flirting with boys. The girls think that the boys they are flirting with are their age. But before long the girls are getting love letters from them.
Maxine gets caught with the emails and she is grounded from the computer. Leah’s parents don’t say anything to her and she continues her contact with the boy. He then convinces Leah to meet him. Leah thinks he is who he said he was and agrees to meet him. The only thing is we all know that most people aren’t who they say they are and Leah goes missing.
Maxine is heartbroken and realizes that it could have been her. When the police ask her for her help will she agree? Can they catch this guy in time or will it be to late?
One thing I really thought was important and it was brought up in the book was that you should never give out any real info about yourself. I try to be careful about what I put out there and who I give info too.
This is a great book that all young adults should read. I really think as parents we need to monitor our children’s Internet activity. We have to remind them that not everyone you chat with online will be who they say they are.
We need to be careful as this really hit home for me last year when a guy I went to high school with was arrested in the US and is now sitting in a US jail for child pornography and arranging to meeting a minor. He has over 100 charges against him and if he is convicted he will basically be spending the rest of his life behind bars.
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Wow, that book sounds like it will really make you think!
Hi Cindy, your review made me think of the same thing that you mentioned at the very end.
Everybody considers themselves to be good judges of character, but there are perfectly charming monsters in the world.
Kathy-Yea it does make you think. Especially being a parent. Thankfully I have been lucky with the people I have meet from online as they have been who they said they were.
Michael-Exactly. He was the last person I thought would have done that. I guess being that all good guy going to church meant nothing at all. Its scary. Even more so when you actually know a person behind the headlines.
Hi Cindy, thanks so much for the review of Dear Jo. I wanted to mention, for educators and parents who are interested, if you go to the Dear Jo page on lobsterpress.com, you will find a free reading guide for the book. It includes discussion questions, resources, activity suggestions, etc. You can also preview the first chapter of the book, and click over to a great interview the author did with some middle school students. We’re so glad to see this important novel getting attention! Thanks again.