The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin

Werlin, Nancy. The Rules of Survival. New York, NY: Dial, 2006. ISBN-10: 0-8037-3001-2

Summary
Matthew and Callie see Murdoch stand up for some kids at a store and they see their salvation. Maybe Murdoch can save them from their mother Nikki. Nikki is unpredictable, demanding and violent. Matthew wants to protect his sisters. At first at seems as if no one will help them but Murdoch convinces Matthew's dad and Nikki's sister to see how crazy Nikki is. A story of hope and escalating terror.

Critical Evaluation 
Matthew is conscious of how crazy life is and he focuses on survival. He regulates his mother's moods and gets out of the way when he can't. Matthew is at once naive and insightful. Nikki is terrifying which make the story dramatic but the presence of the baby reinforces the seriousness of the danger. Recommended.

Reader's Annotation 
Matt would do  whatever he could to keep his mother happy-- tell her she's the best-- otherwise she might turn crazy. It was one of the rules of survival. And Matt's a survivor.

Bibliotherapeutic Usefulness 
Coping with trauma/abuse

Genre and Subject 
Realistic fiction, abuse by absent parent

Why I read it
As nasty as Nikki is, I knew that Matt had to be just as strong because this is Matt's story and the survivor tells the story.