Category Archives: Kidlit

This tag contains all books tagged as Children’s Literature, including picture books, Middle Grade fiction, Young Adult fiction, and relevant non-fiction.

Love Stories by Elizabeth Eulberg

Teffy, Tay, Taylor, and TS have been best friends since middle school. As they enter their high school freshmen era, relationships bring on the drama. Teffy is crushing on the boy next door who belongs to someone else. Tay finds herself down bad for a tortured poet. Things get treacherous as an older boy starts flirting with Taylor. And TS is definitely focused only on soccer and doesn’t fancy her new teammate, a cute London girl . . . right? Suddenly, it feels like everything has changed. Pulled in different directions between navigating high school and new relationships, will their friendship be long lived or is it so long, Taylors?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Alcohol consumption mentioned (secondary character)

Cruel Summer by Elizabeth Eulberg

Four girls, all named Taylor, make for one unforgettable friendship! International bestseller Elizabeth Eulberg follows four stories of first love, friendship, and heartbreak. Don’t miss the sister novel, Jen Calonita’s The Taylors! The sequel to LOVE STORIES (The Taylors Version #1) follows the Taylors through four very different love stories over the course of a turbulent summer.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Classism
  • Intimate partner violence (protagonist’s ex-partner pushes her against a well & puts a hand over her mouth to silence her until its broken up by an adult, on-page)

When Haru Was Here by Dustin Thao

After the death of his best friend, Eric Ly creates imaginary scenarios in his head to deal with his grief. Until one of them becomes real when a boy he met last summer in Japan finds his way back into his life. When he least expects it, Haru Tanaka walks into the coffee shop and sits down next to him. The only thing is, nobody else can see him. In a magical turn of events, Eric suddenly has someone to connect with, making him feel less alone in the world. But as they spend more and more time together, he begins to question what is real. When he starts losing control of the very thing that is holding him together, Eric must finally confront his reality. Even if it means losing Haru forever.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Racism
  • Sexual harassment
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction (theme)
  • Death of a friend

You’ve Found Oliver by Dustin Thao

It’s been a year since his best friend, Sam, died. Even though Oliver knows he won’t get a response, he can’t stop texting Sam’s number, especially as the anniversary of his death approaches. Then one day he accidentally hits the call button, and someone picks up. The voice on the other end isn’t Sam—Sam’s number was reassigned and a stranger has been reading Oliver’s private and vulnerable messages for months. But Ben, an astronomy student in Seattle, won’t remain a stranger for long.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Child abuse mentioned (secondary character)
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Grief & loss depiction (theme)
  • Death of a friend in a car accident

Curse of the Night Witch by Alex Aster

On Emblem Island all are born knowing their fate. Their lifelines show the course of their life and an emblem dictates how they will spend it. Twelve-year-old Tor Luna was born with a leadership emblem, just like his mother. But he hates his mark and is determined to choose a different path for himself. So, on the annual New Year’s Eve celebration, where Emblemites throw their wishes into a bonfire in the hopes of having them granted, Tor wishes for a different power. The next morning Tor wakes up to discover a new marking on his skin…the symbol of a curse that has… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Suicide
  • Cannibalism mentioned (a mother forced to eat her children to survive)
  • Sword & arrow violence
  • Monsters attempting to drown their children mentioned
  • Loss of autonomy (magic)
  • Animal attack (frog, snake)

Grim and Oro by Alex Aster

This premium, dual-sided volume includes two complete novellas bound together to create one can’t-miss collector’s item. The first novella—told from Grim’s perspective—gives readers insight into his past: the motivations and events that cemented his fate as Isla’s eventual love interest. The second is narrated by Oro and offers a window into his complex identity: that of a king torn between desire for justice and passion for the woman he loves more than anything.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Self-injury for magic
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & injury depiction and emesis
  • Torture of a child (on-page)
  • Poisoning (date rape drug)
  • Weapon violence & battle scenes

Crowntide by Alex Aster

Isla Crown has charted a new destiny and leapt into the unknown, determined to defeat her insidious ancestor, Lark, no matter the cost. But Skyshade is nothing like she anticipated, and she’ll have to use all of her skills just to survive, let alone end Lark for good. Meanwhile, Grim and Oro would sooner set fire to their own kingdoms than leave Isla stranded on a path toward certain death. But getting her back will involve forging an alliance―if they can find a way to forgive their long history of betrayals. The key to Isla’s… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Blood & injury depiction and emesis
  • Murder by stabbing & torture
  • Knife, sword & weapon violence
  • War themes & battle scenes

Skyshade by Alex Aster

Back in Grim’s castle on Nightshade, Isla is reeling in the wake of a brutal battle and the devastating truths it exposed. Her future—and the fate of the world—now hinge on a heart split in two. Past Isla, who fell in love with the ruler of Nightshade, fights to resist feelings she considers treasonous. The Isla of the present, who has seen the ruin her powers can cause, will do anything to save Lightlark and its king. As the line between enemy and friend is tested, Isla is more desperate than ever to understand the oracle’s final prophecy… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Infidelity
  • Self-injury for magic & scars
  • Alcohol consumption
  • Blood & gore depiction, including removal of the heart, decapitation & dead bodies
  • Murder
  • Near-drowning incident (in blood)
  • Knife, sword & weapon violence

Barbie Dreamscape by Alex Aster

Barbie’s life is perfect. She lives in a pink-hued paradise called Heartland where everything is in order and everyone has a role to play, thanks to the mysterious and all-powerful beings who will soon assign her a Fate at graduation from the enchanted Swancrest Academy. She’s worked hard to earn a good one. Her years of endless studying and acing every challenge are about to pay off. But when the unthinkable happens and Barbie is left Fateless—the first in Heartland’s history—her carefully ordered world shatters. Sh… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Death of a mother recounted
  • Near-drowning incident
  • Building collapse
  • Animal attack (magical bird)

The Crimson Crown by Cinda Williams Chima

A thousand years ago, two young lovers were betrayed—Alger Waterlow to his death, and Hanalea, Queen of the Fells, to a life without love. Now, once again, the Queendom of the Fells seems likely to shatter apart. For young queen Raisa ana’ Marianna, maintaining peace even within her own castle walls is nearly impossible; tension between wizards and Clan has reached a fevered pitch. With surrounding kingdoms seeking to prey on the Fells’ inner turmoil, Raisa’s best hope is to unite her people against a common enemy. But that enemy might be the person with whom… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Rape recounted
  • Knife violence
  • Torture
  • Animal attack (bird)