Rebirth by Sophie Littlefield

Rebirth by Sophie Littlefield

Civilization has fallen, leaving California an unforgiving, decimated place. But Cass Dollar beat terrible odds to get her missing daughter back. Yet with the first winter, Ruthie retreats into silence. Flesh-eating Beaters still dominate the land. And Smoke, Cass’s lover and strength, departs on a quest for vengeance that can end only in disaster. Now the leader of the survivalist community where Cass has planted roots needs Cass’s help. Dor wants to recover his own lost daughter, taken by the Rebuilders. Soon Cass finds herself thrust into the dark heart of an organization… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Gang rape mentioned
  • Attempted rape
  • Torture

Horizon by Sophie Littlefield

AHorizon by Sophie Littlefield

Cass Dollar is a survivor. She’s overcome the meltdown of civilization, humans turned mindless cannibals and the many evils of man. But from beneath the devastated California landscape emerges a tendril of hope. A mysterious traveller arrives at New Eden with knowledge of a passageway North a final escape from the increasingly cunning Beaters. Clutching this dream, Cass and many others follow him into the unknown. Journeying down valleys and over barren hills, Cass remains torn between two men. One her beloved Smoke is not so innocent as he once was. The other keeps a primal hold on her that feels like… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Paedophilia mentioned

Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Hanging by a Thread by Sophie Littlefield

Summer is the best part of the year in Winston, California, and the Fourth of July is the highlight of the season. But the perfect town Clare remembers has changed, and everyone is praying that this summer will be different from the last two—that this year’s Fourth of July festival won’t see one of their own vanish without a trace, leaving no leads and no suspects. The media are in a frenzy predicting a third disappearance, but the town depends on tourist dollars, so the residents of Winston are trying desperately to pretend nothing’s wrong. And they’re not the only ones… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Murder

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Aftertime by Sophie Littlefield

Awakening in a bleak landscape, Cass Dollar vaguely recalls enduring something terrible. Having no idea how many days—or weeks—have passed, she slowly realizes the horrifying truth: her daughter, Ruthie, has vanished. And with her, nearly all of civilization. Instead of winding through the once-lush hills, the roads today see only cannibalistic Beaters—people turned hungry for human flesh by a government experiment gone wrong. In a broken, barren California, Cass will undergo a harrowing quest to get Ruthie back. Few people trust an outsider—much less one who bears the telltale scars of a Beater attack—but she finds safety… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Substance addiction recovery

Rosewood by Sayantani DasGupta

Rosewood: A Midsummer Meet Cute by Sayantani DasGupta

Eila Das is used to following her head, rather than her heart. When she meets Rahul at Rosewood, a summer camp where campers are being scouted for the hit Bridgerton-like TV show, she experiences…feelings. Between the drama of the show and the drama of the camp, Eila will have to keep her wits about her to make it through the summer. But when she has to choose between her head and her heart, what will she do?

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism mentioned*

*Context : The protagonist’s drama teacher doesn’t believe in colour-blind casting, so they only cast white students in leading roles.


Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles

Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles

Nothing’s gone right for Lawrence since he had to move from Charlotte to Larenville, North Carolina, to live with his granny. When Lawrence ends up in one too many fights at his new school, he gets expelled. The fight wasn’t his fault, but since his pop’s been gone, it feels like no one listens to what Lawrence has to say. Instead of going to school, Lawrence starts spending his days at the rec centre, helping out a neighbour who runs a chess program. Some of the kids in the program will be picked to compete in the Charlotte Classic chess tournament. Could this be Lawrence’s… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Physical assault resulting in minor physical injuries

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

The One Thing You’d Save by Linda Sue Park and illustrated by Robert Sae-Heng

When a teacher asks her class what one thing they would save in an emergency, some students know the answer right away. Others come to their decisions more slowly. And some change their minds when they hear their classmates’ responses. A lively dialogue ignites as the students discover unexpected facets of one another—and themselves.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Death of a brother from a heart condition
  • House fire

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

Dan’s always been a good kid. The kind of kid who listens to his teachers, helps his mom with grocery shopping, and stays out of trouble. But being a good kid doesn’t stop him from being bullied and feeling like he’s invisible, which is why Dan has low expectations when his parents send him on a class trip to Europe. At first, he’s right. He’s stuck with the same girls from his middle school who love to make fun of him, and he doesn’t know why his teacher insisted he come on this trip. But as he travels through France, Germany,… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Bullying

Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and Michelle Mee Nutter

Squished by Megan Wagner Lloyd and illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter

Eleven-year-old Avery Lee loves living in Hickory Valley, Maryland. She loves her neighbourhood, school, and the end-of-summer fair she always goes to with her two best friends. But she’s tired of feeling squished by her six siblings! They’re noisy and chaotic and the younger kids love her a little too much. All Avery wants is her own room — her own space to be alone and make art. So she’s furious when Theo, her grumpy older brother, gets his own room instead, and her wild baby brother, Max, moves into the room she already shares with her clinging sister Pearl! Avery hatches a plan…Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Bullying

The Swifts by Beth Lincoln

The Swifts: A Dictionary of Scoundrels by Beth Lincoln

On the day they are born, every Swift child is brought before the sacred family dictionary. They are given a name and a definition, one it’s assumed they will grow up to match. Unfortunately, Shenanigan Swift doesn’t much like being told what to do. Troublemaker and mischief enthusiast Shenanigan rattles around the grand old Swift house rehearsing Arch-Aunt Schadenfreude’s funeral with her older sisters Phenomena and Felicity, plotting future crimes, and wondering whether she is herself by choice or design. When the Family Reunion floods the… Read more.

GoodreadsThe Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Murder recounted
  • Gun, crossbow & knife violence