Courtesy of Teens Read Too - Rated 
How well do you know the people around you? How do you know they are not hiding a huge secret like their past?
This is the second book I've read recently that casts light on how murderers who are children fit into society after serving time for their crime. Anne Cassidy's new book, LOOKING FOR JJ, will keep your interest until the very end. Not only does the author give details about what happened but she lays the framework as to possible causes of why it happened -- because that is just as important. I actually found myself feeling sorry for Jennifer, the girl who committed the crime, wishing it hadn't happened to her.
Michele Livingstone is dead. She died six years ago at the hands of her friend, JJ. Jennifer Jones has paid for what happened to Michele. There is no denying that Jennifer is responsible for Michele's death, but while reading the book I came to the conclusion that she wasn't the only one to blame. Is there one thing that controls when and how aggressive someone becomes? I really believe that genetic factors may contribute to behavior, but if a child is engaging in delinquent behavior it is probably due to peer influences and lapses in parenting.
Jen's home life while growing up wasn't exactly the "Leave it to Beaver" atmosphere. Her mom certainly wouldn't win any parenting awards and from an early age Jen learned how to get by on her own, alone. Craving love, it is understandable that Jennifer had anger issues. The question is can people change? Can violent deeds of the past be forgiven with the passage of time?
Jennifer is about to be released from jail and the press has made it front page news once again. Is JJ still a danger to other children? Where is she going to live now? Will the family of the dead girl try to get revenge?
Alice Tully, like everyone else, follows the stories in the paper with keen interest. The only thing is that Alice knows something no one else does. She knows where Jennifer Jones is. Only three other people know her whereabouts. What is the connection between Alice Tully and Jennifer Jones? Why does Alice live in constant fear? Who is Alice Tully exactly? Read the book to find out.....
Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick
thought provoking - Rated
very interesting topic, discussed in a fiction approach allows us to imagine what goes on a an individuals mind in these situations although it is an imagined idea on behalf of the author. did find i had to look back to find where some characters were mentioned earlier.
i was surprised at who the child who died actually was, was not expecting it to be her. an honest approach to a difficult topic.
Great topic - interesting read - Rated
Compared to Anne Cassidy's other books - which are frankly boring - "Looking For JJ" has a topic that would interest anyone. We are introduced to the character of Alice, who, although she tries hard to be a normal eighteen-year-old girl, cannot let go of her awful past, and, it seems, neither can the judgemental public.
Whenever we hear of a murder, we are quick to label the killer as a bad person, and a child-killer would of course be worse. So I think it was a brave act of Cassidy's to write this novel about Alice Tully, who isn't the stereotypical killer. Through keyhole peeks at her childhood, we are able to see her selfish mother, and her controlling 'best friend.' Alice, as Jennifer, is not merely a child who killed another child, she is a little girl, and we can't judge.
I am giving "Looking for JJ" 4 stars, because it was a good read, but my only hold-back would be the writing style, which, I think, doesn't sufficiently tell us everything, and can be a bit wooden.
VERY GOOD - Rated 
i have just finished reading it and i could not put it down!! it was just soo good!! i would definately say this is a good book to buy!
An excellent novel for young adults - Rated
Looking for JJ is an excellent novel for young adults. It tell Alice Tully's story as she settles into life after being released from prison. She has been given a new identity and hopes to start a new life. At the start of the book this seems possible; she has a place at university and a loving, if slightly possessive, boyfriend, but things will never be easy for Alice Tully. In a series of flashbacks her crime is revealed - when she was only ten she murdered her best friend.
In this novel Anne Cassidy examines several themes. The friendship between the young girls is shown to be a battleground, with a power struggle at the centre. The different sets of parents show how selfish some parents can be, and what effect this can have. The media treatment of Alice show us just how vindictive they are, how they stop at nothing to get their story. The characterisation of the girls when they are young is excellent as is Alice's Mum; however her social work seems like a bit of a stereotype.
However, I feel the main theme 'children killing children' is skimmed over, probably because there is so little evidence to go on or maybe because it is too horrific to think about, never mind write about. Having read this novel I did some research into child killers on the internet and it is a very disturbing topic, it is too easy to write these people of as freaks of nature, but they were all ordinary kids at one point and they have to live with the crimes they have commited.
Overall, a good, thought-provoking novel.
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