Dear Jo: The story of losing Leah ... and searching for hope. [Paperback]

Christina Kilbourne (Author)

Book Description

Grade Level: 5 and up

Maxine and her best friend Leah used to have so much fun chatting with boys online. Their other friends were jealous of their new relationships, and their parents were oblivious to all the love notes being emailed back and forth. So what if Max and Leah lied about their ages and where they lived ... it was just a website ... just for fun. But when Leah disappeared, Max realized that they weren't the only ones telling lies online. Now Max must help the police find her friend and catch an internet predator ... a predator who had come dangerously close to Max. Through her daily journal entries, Max shares the horrible feeling of betrayal, the crushing loss of Leah, and the struggle to move on after all that has happened.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Every word is well-chosen...really connected to something deep inside my mind...I could see myself in Maxine's position..." -- Cathy Tang, teen reviewer, One80.com

"Max's voice rings authentic and true ... an important book that every teen, young adult and parent should read." -- Windsor Life

"While prescribed for tweens, as social worker and parent, I strongly recommend it for teens and parents as well." -- Diane O'Hara, Registered Social Worker --Windsor Life

"combines mystery, adventure and high emotion while educating young readers ... should be in every classroom and every library..."-- CM: Canadian Review of Materials

"current, important, and insightful ... will keep young readers turning pages and make them more savvy about the internet." -- Martin Avery, author and educator

"learn what it's like to be naive, trusting and brave when you grow up in the world of technology." -- A. Turnbull, Vice Principal, Ontario --Martin Avery, author and educator

"never preachy, always exciting ... This is great stuff!" -- H. Mel Malton, author of the 'Polly Deacon' series

"seems like heavy material, however, the author handles the topic sensitively ... Read this book and then give it to your child!" -- S. McKenzie, Grade 3 Teacher, Ontario --S. McKenzie

About the Author

Author Christina Kilbourne received her master's degree in Creative Writing and English Literature from the University of Windsor, Ontario. She lives in Zephyr, Ontario, with her husband and two children. Dear Jo, Christina's third novel, won the Muskoka Novel Marathon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Lobster Press (May 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1897073518
• ISBN-13: 978-1897073513
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #948,512 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard but Important, May 27, 2008

By 

Jonette L. Jacobsmeyer (Salt Lake City, UT, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dear Jo: The story of losing Leah ... and searching for hope. (Paperback)

I'm a middle school guidance counselor and I wish every student had to read this. It's a very realistic story of an internet predator. It's written from a 13 year-old girl's perspective so is really poignant for teenagers. There is not anything really graphic or horrible but parts are a little intense.

4.0 out of 5 stars Important, timely book - must buy for middle schools, March 28, 2011

By 

K. Covington "YA Librarian" (Mississippi, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dear Jo: The story of losing Leah ... and searching for hope. (Paperback)

This is such an important and timely book. It's written in journal form as one teen deals with the disappearance of her friend after the two struck up an online friendship with the same boy. The boy turns out to be an online predator and things turn out terribly. I plan on reccomending this one to all of my students. The journal style is very engaging and I think that along with the plot line will hold their attention long enough to get this book's important message across. I wish this one was more well-known - my guess is the Canadian publication lead to it's lack of popularity. It should be on all middle school and high school library shelves.

3.0 out of 5 stars A not-so-subtle warning for plugged-in preteens, March 30, 2008

By 

Allison Fraclose (Marana, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dear Jo: The story of losing Leah ... and searching for hope. (Paperback)

When Maxine received "Jo," her journal, as a present for her birthday, she never imagined that she would use it to chronicle the most terrifying of events...

Since her own parents refused to install the internet in their home, Max spens a lot of time over at her best friend, Leah's. How dangerous could it be, especially if they never used their real names or told anyone where they lived? Together, the two girls create a fake online persona to flirt with folks they met on their favorite music forum.

Caught by her mother, Max's fun on the internet ends, but Leah's spins out of control. Max is aware that Leah's online relationship is getting serious, but she's as powerless as everyone else when Leah disappears.

Max's entries in "Jo" follow her as she learns to deal with Leah's abduction, and the knowledge that she could have just as easily been the one taken. Although this book manages to be rather preachy at times, I still found it to be an interesting look at survivor's guilt and depression, and stayed on the edge of my seat until the book's conclusion.