When the Bough Breaks

One of the best YA authors in recent memory, Anna Myers does it again. Well written and frank, this honest look at difficult issues is a wonderful piece to inspire conversation with YA readers. Dark and suspenseful, the story deals with many themes less capable authors might shy from. A girl who feels responsible for murders committed by her brother meets a woman who connects with her in an unexpected way. Darker in tone that past books, Myers deals with teenage depression, mental illness, and abuse in a head-on manner. NOT a book for younger readers (8-12), this book is a fantastic page turner for the YA reader.

This is a very touching story. It talks about foster care, youth murderers, and how this particular boy was driven to try to ease the pain of being bullied, and the repercussions of that act. How it left his sister alone and in foster homes carrying around the guilt of not telling anyone what he was feeling. How this poor child was tormented by children when they found out what her brother did, and how she was moved from foster homes when people found out. She befriended an old woman who was carrying around her own demons, and the two become friends. At first the girl is only trying to make some money so she can buy a bus ticket back to her own state to visit her parent's and brother's grave. She is trying to deal with her demons. She is very quiet and does not let anyone get close to her. Everyone she loves seems to die. This is a very touching and well written novel. It makes you think about your actions and how they may effect people. Anyone reading this should have a box of kleenex, because it is very sad at times. I would give this book 5 stars

When the Bough Breaks is a thoughtful novel that lets the reader peek inside a little girl who has been through more than most adults could imagine. This novel shows the adult reader how young people internalize trauma in their lives, how they accept blame for circumstances of which they have no control, and how desperate they become to understood and accepted.