Dear Jo: The story of losing Leah and searching for hope
Written by: Christina Kilbourne
Lobster Press $10.95
Recommended for ages 11 and up

Once I started it, I could hardly set this book down. In fact I enjoyed it so much, I propose that it should be required reading for late middle and high school students. In journal format, this story deals with the ugly reality of Internet predators.

Maxine and Leah are best friends who are raised differently by their respective parents. Despite her father’s profession as a computer technician, Max is refused Internet access at home because her parents fear the problems that can arise from it. Leah, on-the-other-hand, is brought up in a much more lenient household where Internet use is not monitored at all. As a result, the two girls spend much of their time surfing the Net at Leah’s home.

Upon entering a chat room, the twelve-year-olds engage in conversations with a young male (at least they think he is young) and pass themselves off as one person who is 14 years old. Unfortunately and far too late, Max discovers they were not the only deceiving ones.

After a long search for Leah who goes missing one winter night, her body is discovered and Max sets out on a mission to catch the creep who ended her friend’s short life. She works with the police to nab the predator, a scary endeavor in and of itself. Throughout the ordeal, Max sees a psychologist who encourages her to keep a journal, recording her thoughts and feelings. It is this journal that the reader is privy to.

Unfortunately, this book is a necessary evil in a time when so many preteens and teens spend much of their spare time on the Internet.