Dear Jo- Christina Kilbourne
Although I reviewed this briefly in another post, Dear Jo has now been nominated for this year’s Snow Willow awards and I wanted to give it a little further attention. This was indeed, a powerful read, and one that will have you on the edge of your seats many times. Although abductions by unknown internet predators is not a common occurrence, it is something our children need to be much more aware of. Too often, they think they are immune to this possibility and continue to chat on-line with unknowns, and expect that they can maintain their safety and privacy. Maxine and her best friend, Leah, hide their own identity but are very gullible in their belief that the person they are chatting with is up-front about who he really is. Only when Leah disappears, does Maxine start to feel the impact of their actions, and in a series of heart-rending journal entries, pours out her fears, her guilt and her despair over what might have happened. If you have not yet read it, I won’t spoil it for you by giving away the ending. This is a novel that I expect will be flying off the shelf. I believe this would also be important for parents to read.
Middle Years, Realistic Fiction, Snow Willow, YA | Comment (1)One Response to “Dear Jo- Christina Kilbourne”
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Hi Jane – thanks so much for taking the time to mention Dear Jo again. It’s wonderful to see the book getting awards attention – Dear Jo also just won the Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award, and is on the current shortlists for the NY State Reading Association’s Charlotte Award, and the BC Red Cedar! Thank goodness for these reading programs, they really help kids (and parents) discover quality books! Keep up the great work…