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Average Customer Rating:

This book is bunk

Customer Rating:

Beatrice Sparks is well known for publishing "true" stories based on teenage tragedies.....but the real story is that Ms. Sparks writes these books herself. Seldom are they even based on a true story. It's fiction. All her books are fiction. Don't be fooled. Her books are simply a way for her to spew her propaganda under the "it could happen to you" guise. Don't waste your time reading this tripe.

Jakes awesome review

Customer Rating:

When I first began to read this book I wasn't really into it. THen when I get farther into the book I began to like it more. This book has showed me someways how life can get when you have family problems and bad friends. Jay had Debbie who got him into stealing for her.She overdozed on pills. Even thought these are to help you, if you take them to much it can hurt you heath. Jays dad finally cought him and sent him to a kids Jail where he met Pete. Now this is where it got intresting for me. When Pete showed Jay that he could levitate coins I got very intrested. I automaticlly new then that Jay was going to get into witch craft. Which is bad and good in my opinion. In someways this has helped me in my own life. this book is sort-of like me, he has family problems, girlfriends problems and everthing. I belive this book is TOTALLY! awesome. It's entertaining and it's just a good book for people to read. It can help some people mabye over come their own problems. This book is very good for a teen. It talks about getting your first car which every teenager can't wait for! I belive this book in impowering for alot of kids and can teach them what not to do and what can happen when you get in with the wrong group and wrong girlfriend. I was so dissapointed when I read he killt himself. This book is awesome and I'm glad I readit

An Educator's Perspective on Beatrice Sparks: Dishonest and Dangerous!

Customer Rating:

Unlike Beatrice Sparks, I actually have earned a Ph.D. (in English and American Literature). During my years as a school and school district administrator, I don't know how many of Sparks' books I've authorized the purchase of, upon the request of my district's English teachers. A few years ago, I was sitting in my office and picked up a copy of "Jay's Journal." I read it when I was a kid (not surprisingly, I was a very early and precocious reader). During the ensuing years, I not only had grown up, but I actually had learned about Satanic rituals and practices not in any esoteric way, but simply as a member of several Catholic Yahoo Groups and reading genuine scholarly journals Consequently, I did an Internet search, compiled material that I e-mailed to ALL my teachers along with a directive to inform their students Sparks' books were fiction. I couldn't make the books I had ordered disappear, but I could do something to be true to what I consider the first percept of good teaching, which is to put the kids first and be as honest as possible at all times. Incidentally, there has been no evidence that Beatrice Sparks is, in fact, a licensed mental health professional -- and believe me, I knew where to look. When "Jay's" brother, Scott Barrett, offered his book for sale in the spring of 2006, I ordered a copy, sent him a check for $15 -- and only received an e-mail stating that there would be a delay in getting my copy. I never did, unfortunately. It would have made a terrific article for "The English Journal" and several other publications for teachers of English (and all teachers of adolescents), school counselors, school psychologists and licensed mental health professionals in general. What Beatrice Sparks did to the Barrett family is unconscionable. If she has a license to lose -- and I have found no evidence that she is a licensed mental health professional in Utah or any other state -- she more than deserves to lose it.

Bad Vibes

Customer Rating:

I agree it was very entertaining when I was 12. I was also under the impression that it was somewhat true and it's very disappointing that a woman would be in such denial about her own lack of parenting skills that she'd go out of her way to make it look like some evil forces made her son kill himself. Maybe if she was less delusional and more responsible, her son wouldn't have killed himself. Ultimately, read it if you want, but please don't perpetuate the lie by actually paying for it.

Jay's Journal: really good book

Customer Rating:

I remember when i first started reading this book, i couldn't get my hands off of it. it is kind of sad knowing that some of the teenagers are troubled like Jay.when people like Jay are gullible enough to fall in the hands of drugs, witchcraft, satanism, and voodo, it just shows that his parents probably didn't give him the proper guidance or attention he needed to do the right things. He wants to explore more of what life has to offer like mental challenges as in E.S.P (extrasensory perception). Many times it can also be influences by friends or family. As is Jays case it was his two best friends. Unfortunately they both die and Jay is left on the world on his own. So he does even crazier things like perform weird satanic ceremonies which include drinking the blood from cows. After all these incidents are over, there is this demon presence that troubled Jay for a good while. He would follow him everywhere. And it's a very strong coincidence that he and his friends all died by their right temples. And when Jay dies he leaves a note for his parents telling them how he couldn't take it anymore. He couldn't take how the demon tormented him and how he had to be on his own because he really liked his friends.