Readingjunky's Reading Roost

If you are looking for one of those "ripped from the headlines" type stories, you'll be interested in LOOKING FOR JJ by Anne Cassidy.

It starts with Alice Tully, formerly Jennifer Jones, six months after being released from a juvenile facility and relocated for her own protection. Six years ago Alice (JJ) murdered her best friend. Now she needs to start over, but that may be easier said than done. The world is curious and perhaps freakishly attracted to stories like hers. Why does a 10 year old murder another youngster? What motivates such an attack, and is it possible for someone like that to change?

To this day Alice doesn't know what caused her to snap while holding that baseball bat, but it happened and it changed her life forever. Growing up with an emotionally unstable and often neglectful mother may have contributed to Alice's brief loss of sanity, but no one will probably ever know. She just knows that this chance to start over is a gift, but one wrong move may have jeopardized the opportunity. After innocently sending her mother a birthday card, sensitive information about Alice's new life is now in the hands of the newspaper people. Now her fate may rest in the hands of those out to cash in on her fascinating and violent past.

Anne Cassidy is able to creatively combine both the past and present stories of 10 year old Jennifer Jones and teen Alice Tully. Readers learn about the tragic event that shaped the life of Jennifer and her current desire to resume a peaceful life as Alice. LOOKING FOR JJ would be a worthwhile addition to any age 14 and up collection.