Dear Jo by Christina Kilbourne

I have mixed feelings about this first novel by Kilbourne. On the one hand, it's a great cautionary tale about the dangers of giving out personal information online. Strong message, timely, useful. But the inauthentic voice of the narrator really detracts from the good things about this novel. The author is trying so hard to sound like a 12 year-old girl that she sounds more like a developmentally delayed adult. Think "Flowers for Algernon" mixed with chat rooms. Some of the cultural references the author includes are hopelessly outdated - like Beanie Babies and Malcolm in the Middle. The author's attempt to sound "with it" just makes her sound clueless.