Dear Jo

Last year SJMS started reading a school wide book to teach character development skills. The book was ok, but most had read it before in the 6th grade, and found it quite juvenile. I tried to read it myself, and never could quite make it to the end. I guess I should probably pick it up and finish it .... I was so close to the end. THEN maybe I'll figure out why the counseling department thought it was so wonderful.

The book, by the way, was called Stargirl.

This year, they decided to do a school wide read again,

but chose to read a different book. Dear Jo. They gave a copy to each member of the school, kids and teachers both, and had them read it during their TA class. I heard from several old colleagues that the book was phenomenal! A friend of mine had a student who threw out the book and gave it to me to read. I couldn't put it down.

The text is quite easy, and is in the form of a Journal (Jo). It's about 2 girls who get caught up in online chat rooms and find themselves in a big BIG mess.

If you have a teenager in your home, you should read this book. THEY should read this book. The Internet is not safe, and there are a lot of scary people out there ....

Read it! You can borrow my copy if you'd like.