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Things I Shouldn't Think

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About The Book

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 can’t get them out of her mind. In fact, Dani’s worried that she might actually kill Alex. So she confesses her thoughts to keep him safe—and consequently sets off a media frenzy that makes “Dani Death” 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 justice…and Dani’s learning that some thoughts are better left unsaid.

Janet Ruth Young writes convincingly about mental illness. Dani’s 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 won’t be able to put down.

Excerpt

1

MyFace Profile

Name: Dani

Sex: Female

Age: 17 years old

Location: Hawthorne, Massachusetts, United States

Last log-in: April 23

Mood: romantic

My hobbies: tennis, running, singing

Interested in: friendship male and female, dating male, relationship male

My favorite quote:

“Watch your thoughts, for they become words. Watch your words, for they become actions. Watch your actions, for they become habits. Watch your habits, for they become character. Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.”—Charles Reade

About me:

Hello, world!!! I’m a jr. at Hawthorne High and sing alto in our a cappella group the Hawtones . . . love the teamwork . . . play varsity tennis . . . brings out my competitive side . . . best friend is Shelley . . . u can see lots of pictures of us here . . . lots of good times . . . I’m a loyal friend, always try to live up to what is expected of me . . . hate letting people down, would rather be disappointed in them than have them disappointed in me . . . I’ve had this happen to me at least once since my dad moved away when I was little . . . I won’t bore you with that story since you probably know how that goes . . . I like a guy at school, but he has no idea . . . so if you are cute and reasonably tall and above all, NICE, please hit me up.

TMI, Dani thinks. That’s way too much information. Just leave in the happy parts.

Hello, world!!! I’m a jr. at Hawthorne High and sing alto in our a cappella group the Hawtones . . . love the teamwork . . . play varsity tennis . . . brings out my competitive side . . . best friend is Shelley . . . u can see lots of pictures of us here . . . lots of good times . . . I’m a loyal friend, always try to live up to what is expected of me . . . if you are cute and reasonably tall and above all, NICE, please hit me up.

Dani presses Publish.

© 2011 Janet Ruth Young

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Janet Ruth Young is the author of the teen novels My Beautiful Failure, Things I Shouldn’t Think (previously published as The Babysitter Murders), and The Opposite of Music. She lives in Gloucester, Massachusetts. Visit her at JanetRuthYoung.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (November 13, 2012)
  • Length: 352 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781442459250
  • Ages: 14 - 99

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Raves and Reviews

"[A] provocative exploration of a community's response to the mere possibility of a horrific crime. A realistic and disturbing look at our cultural response to mental illness.”--Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

"Teens who feel misunderstood will relate to Dani’s struggles to maintain her reputation in a society that tends to view them with suspicion."--Kirkus Reviews

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