Everyone has disturbing thoughts sometimes. But for seventeen-year-old Dani Solomon, strange thoughts have taken over her life. She loves Alex, the little boy she babysits, more than anything. Then one day she envisions harming him. The images are so gruesome, she canât get them out of her mind. In fact, Daniâs worried that she might actually kill Alex. So she confesses her thoughts to keep him safeâand consequently sets off a media frenzy that makes âDani Deathâ the target of an extremist vigilante group. Through the help of a daring psychiatrist, Dani begins to heal her broken mind. But will it be too late? The people of her community want justiceâŠand Daniâs learning that some thoughts are better left unsaid.
Janet Ruth Young writes convincingly about mental illness. Daniâs disorder is based on a real form of OCD and her treatment incorporates actual psychiatric methods, making The Babysitter Murders an authentic read that teens wonât be able to put down.