A Girl's Life Online [Paperback]

Katherine Tarbox (Author)

Book Description

Katherine Tarbox was thirteen when she met twenty-three-year-old "Mark" in an online chat room. A top student and nationally ranked swimmer attending an elite school in an affluent Connecticut town, Katie was also a lonely and self-conscious eighth-grader who craved the attention her workaholic parents couldn't give her. "Mark" seemed to understand her; he told her she was smart and wonderful. When they set a date to finally meet while Katie was in Texas for a swim competition, she walked into a hotel room and discovered who-and what-her cyber soul mate really was.In A Girl's Life Online, Tarbox, now eighteen, tells her story-an eye-opening tale of one teenager's descent into the seductive world of the Internet. Tarbox's harrowing experience with her online boyfriend would affect her life for years to come and result in her becoming the first "unnamed minor" to test a federal law enacted to protect kids from online sexual predators.In an age when a new generation is growing up online, Tarbox's memoir is a cautionary tale for the Internet Age.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Plume (September 3, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452286611
• ISBN-13: 978-0452286610
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #691,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It's a good book; not a great book., September 24, 2007

By 

T. Ashley - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A Girl's Life Online (Paperback)

I read the earlier version of this book, "Katie.com." The book starts off slowly and I was getting bored with it for a while. I just couldn't relate to this teenage girl from an upper middle class family. In my opinion, she was too obsessed with designer clothes and with her swimming team. The book eventually gained my interest when she started talking to a guy that she met online who was going by the name of Mark. Their relationship and the legal case that followed are the only things that piqued my interest. I'm glad that I read the entire story, but I'm very glad that I spent so little to buy it. This book is well worth the few bucks that I payed for it. I found it to be very mild. I do recommend it--even for other teens.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book That You Won't Be Able To Put Down, May 12, 2009

By 

Kingham's Kids "Ms, Kingham's 7th Grade" (Bedford, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Girl's Life Online (Paperback)

Almost everybody goes on the computer. Most people who go on the computer go on the internet. Many people who go on the internet go on chat websites. Only some people talk to people that they don't know on the internet. A girl named Katie does. But she decides to take it way too far. A Girls Life Online, by Katherine Tarbox is a true story about a girl who starts out feeling very uncomfortable with school, her friends, and her body. She finds out about the IMing world and discovers a whole new way to talk to people. She goes in a chat room and finds people to talk to. There was this one man that she met, that claimed to be 21 years old. She then started to fall in love with this man. He made her feel different than anyone made her feel before. Loved. She opened up all of her feelings to him. He then asks her one question. Do you want to meet somewhere? Sadly, Katie fell for his act, and says yes. When they finally met, he does stuff that she was a little to young to do. He was a child molester. A Girls Life Online is a great, scary, interesting book. I literally couldn't put this book down. I would stay up until 12:00 at night reading it. A Girls Life Online would definitely get 5 stars. It makes your heart race. You won't be able to put this book down. This book will definitely be worth your time.
This book was had an awesome storyline. It shares a good message to young kids and parents of young kids because it tells you how unsafe the internet can be. It tells you how you should not give off any information about where you live because it can lead to many serious situations. I would recommend this book for ages 10+. Anybody younger reading this book might not understand most of the things that it says. As I said before this book is great. I would read it again at anytime. I would definitely recommend you buying A Girls Life Online, you will not regret it.

~HK

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read!, February 21, 2009

By 

Proud Midwest Mom - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Girl's Life Online (Paperback)

I am an 8th grade teacher, this book relates to each and every one. I highly suggest that all teen girls and boys read this. The book starts slow, but it's only to give information about Katie's life before. She's a great girl and this can happen to anyone her age. Glad that she shared her story!