Book Review: Want to Go Private? by Sarah Darer Littman

Want to Go Private?
Author: Sarah Darer Littman
Pages: 336 Hardcover
Reading Level: YA
Published: August 1st 2011
Review Source: Scholastic
Available: Amazon

Summary: (from goodreads) Abby and Luke chat online. They've never met. But they are going to. Soon.

Abby is starting high school—it should be exciting, so why doesn't she care? Everyone tells her to "make an effort," but why can't she just be herself? Abby quickly feels like she's losing a grip on her once-happy life. The only thing she cares about anymore is talking to Luke, a guy she met online, who understands. It feels dangerous and yet good to chat with Luke—he is her secret, and she's his. Then Luke asks her to meet him, and she does. But Luke isn't who he says he is. When Abby goes missing, everyone is left to put together the pieces. If they don't, they'll never see Abby again.

When I first received this book and read the title I never in my mind thought the book would be what is it! This is a very powerful book that teaches you of the dangers of the Internet and meeting people from a chat room. Although, the book is a YA I think it’s a little too straight forward for a YA and believe it’s best as an adult book, but that’s just my opinion. The author does not hold back in her words describing the situation and goes into detail which is interesting in the way she portrayed these characters. The author does an amazing job describing the situation and amazingly switches through the minds of each character, first of Abby the naive teenager who is currently going through the ruff’s with her best friend. She begins the story with Abbey and how she enters an Internet chat room and begins chatting with a man (whom she believes is a boy) named Luke. She spills her guts to him, telling him everything and all Luke does is listen and gives her enduring advice which gains her trust. Abby believes she’s in love with Luke and decides to meet him.

For the remainder of the story, the author uses the minds of Abby’s parent’s, sister, best friend and a boy named Billy whom she went on a date with to describe the desperation and emotions running through them as they realize that Abbey has now disappeared. As they begin to investigate, secrets begin to unravel and the truth has surfaced as to how the disappearance happened.

This story is one that has happened many times and that we constantly hear in the news, but to put it in a story is fascinating to me. I highly recommend this book to all parents whom have any teenage children. This book really addresses the issues and the dangers of the Internet and meeting people from it. I will forever have this story in my mind and will be even more cautious then ever when i am on the Internet and speaking with total strangers. I highly recommend this book to both teenagers and adults alike. However, I must remind that this author does not hold back with the descriptions and interpretations and may come off as a little strong but without her bald statements to make her point across and clearer this book would have not been as good.