Everyone has disturbing thoughts sometimes. But for seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon, strange thoughts have taken over her life. She loves Alex, ... read full description
reviews
Aug 15, 2011
Marisa
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I wish I liked this book more. I was fairly fascinated by the premise. Dani is an overachieving junior in high school. She's in line to be named as co-captain of the tennis team with her best friend, she's a prominent member of the school's a Capella group, and she babysits four nights a week for a Alex, a five year old boy. Alex's mom is disorganized and Dani often has to buy Alex's dinner with her own money, but she loves him. And Mrs. Alex, a single working mom, really depends on her. D
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Dec 14, 2011
Maureen
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Dani has thoughts of doing harm to the little boy she babysits. She has other inappropriate thoughts about other people, too. They don't start the firestorm that results from Dani telling Alex's mom what she's thinking about. The police are involved, the media circus starts, and an online group starts a virtual manhunt, aided by someone who seems to have insider information. Dani becomes the most vilified babysitter in history. Luckily, she is able to get the help she needs to deal with her thou
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Oct 01, 2011
cecilia
rated it: 
I have to be honest and say that I was a little nervous about reading The Babysitter Murders – the title alone makes one come to an abrupt stop when browsing the bookshelves. What a daring and startling story that Janet Ruth Young has written! To be sure, The Babysitter Murders still continues to linger in my mind and has changed how I read or watch the news – for the better.
The story concept is unquestionably disturbing as readers get a look inside Dani’s head, but it is obvious that More...
The story concept is unquestionably disturbing as readers get a look inside Dani’s head, but it is obvious that More...
Aug 02, 2011
Rebecca
rated it: 
What do you do when you have horrible, inapproptiate thoughts? Should you tell someone? Should these thoughts be treated as done deeds?
Dani is a very believable character. You know/knew her at your own high school. You knew her friends. You knew her classmates. You've read about rumors on the internet spiralling fast out of control(You may have been wrapped up in such a story.) My only quibble was that after the long build up to the "confession," I think the aftermath More...
Dani is a very believable character. You know/knew her at your own high school. You knew her friends. You knew her classmates. You've read about rumors on the internet spiralling fast out of control(You may have been wrapped up in such a story.) My only quibble was that after the long build up to the "confession," I think the aftermath More...
Jul 16, 2011
Shanyn
rated it:
The Babysitter Murders is a book I have heard nothing about and wasn't sure I would get to but am so glad that I did. I hadn't even read the synopsis for the book before starting, but for some reason it was calling to me so I decided to give it a try.
The title kind of makes it sound like it could be a gaudy cliche story (think the movie Scream). Or that it could be a gruesome serial killer tale. Fortunately it is neither - it actually deals with mental illness and thoughts that the m More...
The title kind of makes it sound like it could be a gaudy cliche story (think the movie Scream). Or that it could be a gruesome serial killer tale. Fortunately it is neither - it actually deals with mental illness and thoughts that the m More...
Jul 03, 2011
Rachel
rated it:
The Babysitter Murders is one of the best accounts of mental illness in teenagers that I have read this year, so credit must go to the author for working so hard to accurately present the experiences of Dani; Dani's unusual (or perhaps more accurately, under-publicized) form of OCD was brilliantly captured, in my opinion, and never over-dramatised. She may be one of my favourite protagonists of the year; brave, misunderstood and honest. One of the reasons this novel works so well and I scored it
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May 20, 2011
Vinaya
rated it:
Q: How do you know when you've been reading too many YA paranormals?
Ans: When you read a blurb about a babysitter who's been having disturbing, murderous thoughts, and automatically assume a demon/fallen angel/vampire is telepathically implanting them in her brain!
Yeah, so... no. That's not what this book is about. *embarrassed grin* This is actually a YA contemporary novel about a seventeen year old girl who suddenly finds herself having graphic, disturbingly violent vis More...
Ans: When you read a blurb about a babysitter who's been having disturbing, murderous thoughts, and automatically assume a demon/fallen angel/vampire is telepathically implanting them in her brain!
Yeah, so... no. That's not what this book is about. *embarrassed grin* This is actually a YA contemporary novel about a seventeen year old girl who suddenly finds herself having graphic, disturbingly violent vis More...
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Oct 29, 2011
Danya
rated it:
This review was for my blog event Psychtember, so it's formatted a little differently than usual, to reflect the mental health theme. I've structured things as though the book is the patient and I'm giving them an assessment. Each axis is an aspect of the book that I'll give my thoughts on (characters, plot, etc.), and the validity score refers to how psychologically accurate I think the book is, with the final diagnosis being my shooting star rating. The rating still reflects my overall view of
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Jul 27, 2011
Charlotte
rated it:
http://charlotteswebofbooks.blogspot.com...
Admittedly, the topic of this story is very dark. BUT, I think there are a lot of key talking points for teens and their parents. Obviously open lines of communication are critical, but if Dani had been able to REALLY talk to her Mom, everything would have turned out differently. She would have never gone to Alex's mom and the police would not have been involved.
We tend to think of "bad kids" being the loners, the More...
Admittedly, the topic of this story is very dark. BUT, I think there are a lot of key talking points for teens and their parents. Obviously open lines of communication are critical, but if Dani had been able to REALLY talk to her Mom, everything would have turned out differently. She would have never gone to Alex's mom and the police would not have been involved.
We tend to think of "bad kids" being the loners, the More...
Jul 21, 2011
Laura
rated it:
Dani Solomn seems like a normal 17-year old girl, she's a high school student, a babysitter to a cute little boy, Alex, and a popular to boot. Dani isn't all that she seems though she's keeping a dark secret from her friends and loved ones. She keeps having disturbing visions of hurting and even killing people that she cares about the most. The visions are strongest when it comes to Alex, the young boy she babysits for, and the visions are so vivid that she feels she might really do it. She disc
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Jul 22, 2011
Savannah (Books With Bite)
rated it:
For me, as I started this book, it was real easy to fall into the story line. We have a teenage girl, who is overwhelmed by a lot of things. So much so, that she starts to over think things and her thoughts. Dani, has bad thought just like everyone. But these thoughts scare her so much that she just freaked herself out.
It is hard for me to write this review cause I am not sure how to get the right words to describe this book. The story line of this book is simple yet filling. The re More...
It is hard for me to write this review cause I am not sure how to get the right words to describe this book. The story line of this book is simple yet filling. The re More...
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Aug 01, 2011
Donna
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For the first seventy pages or so the story actually ambled along a bit slowly for my taste. After my first sitting I was wondering when the story would get to the point. For that first chunk that I read, it was just set-up for Dani but it was really schizophrenic. Not in a character sense but in a story sense. The plot was just all over the place and I was left wondering when it would all come together and I'd get to see something that resembled the blurb.
But not long after that the p More...
But not long after that the p More...
Jul 11, 2011
Ab
rated it:
This book was alright ... more stars for the originality of the psychological disorder presented as the main plot device. I haven't read too many YA books about OCD, and then up it to the obsessive uncontrollable "bad thoughts" OCD, and you have something pretty not-explored. The writing isn't great, and the first couple of chapters are pretty rough just reading all the whoa-thoughts Dani is having. The way the whole thing explodes in the town is pretty crazy ... although I have nothin
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Sep 02, 2011
Megan
rated it:
Dani seems like your normal well adjusted teenage girl. She is involved in sports and music , popular and dedicated to her after school babysitting charge. But all this changes when Dani starts to have disturbing thoughts about what she could do to the people she loves most. She tries to tell her secret but no one understands exactly what she is saying. Most of the book deals with the aftermath of Dani telling her secret and how everyone's perception of Dani changes.
I finished this b More...
I finished this b More...
Jul 02, 2011
Kat
rated it:
Three and a half stars.
Dani Solomon is the perfect teenager. Star of the tennis team, star of the a cappella group at her school. She's popular enough, and has one best friend she can rely on for everything. She's perfectly responsible, too, babysitting her five-year-old neighbor, Alex, while his mother is out at all hours. Alex is her life. So why is it that she can't shake a mental picture of his death--at her own hands?
Dani's beginning to think she might be dangerous, and More...
Dani Solomon is the perfect teenager. Star of the tennis team, star of the a cappella group at her school. She's popular enough, and has one best friend she can rely on for everything. She's perfectly responsible, too, babysitting her five-year-old neighbor, Alex, while his mother is out at all hours. Alex is her life. So why is it that she can't shake a mental picture of his death--at her own hands?
Dani's beginning to think she might be dangerous, and More...
Oct 17, 2011
Bethany
rated it:
Seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon seems to be the ideal all-American girl. She’s on the tennis team, she sings in her school’s a cappella group, and she has an after school job babysitting for Alex, a little boy whom she adores. Then one day Dani begins having disturbing thoughts about Alex – thoughts that she can’t control. She imagines herself standing over his bed with a knife in her hand. She imagines what he would look like after she stabbed him to death. Though she tries to push these h
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Sep 01, 2011
Michael
rated it:
Janet Ruth Young does it again, taking a difficult mental and emotional condition and turning into an entertaining, educational, and powerful young adult novel. In her first novel, The Opposite of Music, Janet tackles depression. In The Babysitter Murders, main character Dani struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. The problem is, because she doesn't understand her disorder, people think she's a potential murderer, and that doesn't play well in this sleep, coastal New England town. And
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Aug 19, 2011
Tracie
rated it:
When suddenly stricken with an unusual form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, 17-year-old Dani Solomon struggles to heal her broken mind amidst a non-supportive community that fails to understand the nature of her mental illness.
As someone who is afflicted with a form of OCD that is extremely similar to the type that Dani contends with, I really related to this book. Parts of it made me cry; parts of it were triggering and scary; but overall, reading this book was very theraputic and More...
As someone who is afflicted with a form of OCD that is extremely similar to the type that Dani contends with, I really related to this book. Parts of it made me cry; parts of it were triggering and scary; but overall, reading this book was very theraputic and More...
Feb 03, 2012
Jordyn
rated it:
Dani's been having disturbing thoughts. The seventeen year old girl loves her best friend, her mother, and especially the little boy she babysits (Alex), but lately she's been having thoughts of hurting them -- anything ranging from the most hurtful insults to graphic murder -- and she doesn't know how to stop it. Confessing her unwanted thoughts leads to a media frenzy in her small town as everyone speculates on who the "nanny nutjob" might be and Dani becomes vilified as she tries to
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Sep 21, 2011
Nicole
rated it:
I liked the overall plot of this book, and I like the issues discussed. On the surface it's a book about the obsessional part of OCD, but really it's more about gossip and hysteria and the way people/the media get the wrong idea. And there's a questioning sexuality subplot as well.
So that's a lot of big ideas to fit into a book, especially one with multiple viewpoints and chapters that are frequently one paragraph or one sentence long. As a result, the book feels choppy and overly brea More...
So that's a lot of big ideas to fit into a book, especially one with multiple viewpoints and chapters that are frequently one paragraph or one sentence long. As a result, the book feels choppy and overly brea More...
Jul 24, 2011
I love books that make me think about real life situations, and The Babysitter Murders is definitely one such book. When people hear information on the news or through their neighbors and friends about someone who committed a crime or possibly even just thought of it, as in the case of Dani Solomon - the main character in this book - we're often quick to judge. We take out the word "alleged" when we speak about it, convicting them before they have a chance to have their day in court. S
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Jan 29, 2012
What originally drew me to The Babysitter Murders was the premise. I’ve babysat my fair share of young children and never had thoughts about hurting them in any way or form. So I was really interested to read the story and see how it all played out.
Ever since she heard about a father killing his stepdaughter on the news, Dani has had weird thoughts about hurting people she cares about and loves. Scariest thought of all is the one of killing Alex, the little boy she babysits. No matter More...
Ever since she heard about a father killing his stepdaughter on the news, Dani has had weird thoughts about hurting people she cares about and loves. Scariest thought of all is the one of killing Alex, the little boy she babysits. No matter More...
Jul 26, 2011
Jessi
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I wanted to read this book because I suspected from the description that the main character had OCD, and I had to read it because I have OCD as well and always like to see how it is portrayed in literature. I was so delighted/awed to find a character whose thought processes are very realistic. Dani has weird thoughts all the time that are common among those with OCD, though they typically don't get much press. She worries about doing violent things even though has no desire to and thinks of sayi
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Jul 07, 2011
Melissa
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Dani Solomon is talented, beautiful, and comes from a wealthy family. She is a member of the Hawtones, an a cappella group at her high school, and a star player on the school’s tennis team. She loves the little boy she babysits for, Alex. But Dani has a secret. She has thoughts she can’t control. Thoughts of outing her best friend in public, inappropriate thoughts about those around her, but scariest of all are the realistically disturbing images she sees in her mind of herself murdering lMore...
Oct 15, 2011
Ashley
rated it:
Originally reviewed on my blog, Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing.
The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young is a tough book to read. It's the story of Dani, a young girl who babysits a little boy named Alex, and he is just the cutest thing ever. Alex is such a sweet kid and Dani genuinely loves him and enjoys being a part of his life, even though his mom (who Dani calls Mrs. Alex) takes advantage of Dani and is someone who bothered me from the very beginning of the book. But the More...
The Babysitter Murders by Janet Ruth Young is a tough book to read. It's the story of Dani, a young girl who babysits a little boy named Alex, and he is just the cutest thing ever. Alex is such a sweet kid and Dani genuinely loves him and enjoys being a part of his life, even though his mom (who Dani calls Mrs. Alex) takes advantage of Dani and is someone who bothered me from the very beginning of the book. But the More...
Jul 09, 2011
Kelsey
rated it:
The Babysitter Murders was a complex and intriguing look at OCD and the damage it can cause. Dani’s form of OCD was one I hadn’t heard of before and I’m ashamed to say I always think of obsessively washing your hands or checking locks as OCD, when there are even more serious forms of the illness. This was an impressive novel and it opened my eyes to something I knew little to nothing about.
Seventeen year old Dani is haunted by horrifying images and thoughts and she can’t get them out More...
Seventeen year old Dani is haunted by horrifying images and thoughts and she can’t get them out More...
Aug 12, 2011
Lani
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Jun 29, 2011
Klee
rated it:
I admit to being somewhat anxious as I read the first several chapters. Who hasn't had the crazy thought at times?! I admired the main character but still find it hard to get beyond her initial naivete in her revelation. Still it was eminently believable and I personally know several YAs who would benefit from reading about issues they have a difficult time confronting and will recommend it.
Sep 08, 2011
Sophia
rated it:
When you read the descpirtion on the inside cover, it sounds boring, that-been-done, ect. But really, it's an awesome book. every time I start i say "I'll just read a chapter or two", and then end up reading until Part 4. Defiantly read it. It's worth the time.
Nov 11, 2011
Virginia
rated it:
4.5. Rounding up because I have OCD and have had these kind of thoughts and panicked. I got over it on my own, though. It's cool to know that I'm not alone, because I didn't, before I read this book. The only downside I saw was the cheesy romance. :)
