Category Archives: Middle Grade & Children’s

Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling

Twelve-year-old Jolene spends every day she can at the library watching her favorite livestream: The Desert Aviator, where twelve-year-old “Addie Earhart” shares her adventures flying an ultralight plane over the desert. While watching this daring girl fly through the sky, Jolene can dream of what it would be like to fly with her, far away from her own troubled home life where her mother struggles with a narcotic addiction. And Addie, who is grieving the loss of her father, finds solace in her online conversations with Jolene, her biggest—and only—fan. Then, one day, it all goes wrong… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

  • Parent with substance addiction
  • Grief & loss depiction
  • Death of a father
  • Plane crash

    Champions of the Fox by Kevin Sands

    Commanded by the magical artefact known as the Dragon’s Eye, junior con artist Callan and his friends are eagerly reaching the end of the epic quest that will finally free him from the Eye’s sinister hold. But their final task is their most ambitious: sneaking into the emperor’s private island prison and rescuing a man from a jail cell that has been locked tight for forty years. This impossible heist will strain the gang’s unique abilities to thieve and deceive everyone from the guards, the city elite, the warden, and even the nefarious local crime boss who warns them to stay away. Commanded by the magical… Read more.

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Alcohol consumption mentioned
    • Mentions of a dead body
    • Physical assault of a minor recounted
    • Minor knife & sword violence
    • Loss of autonomy (magical)

    Seekers of the Fox by Kevin Sands

    Rule number one: Never mess with magic. Even so, a life-or-death situation calls for Callan and his criminal friends to make a deal with the Eye—the sinister, sentient artifact they stole from a sorcerer. Something precious in exchange for a future task, and the gang has no choice but to agree. The cure—and their part of the deal—lies with the Dragon’s Teeth, a pair of swords with extraordinary powers, and the search for them leads the thieves on a quest that will unravel the mystery of the Eye.

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Alcohol consumption mentioned
    • Minor knife & sword violence
    • Loss of autonomy (magical)

    Mark of the Plague by Kevin Sands

    The Black Death has returned to London, spreading disease and fear through town. A mysterious prophet predicts the city’s ultimate doom—until an unknown apothecary arrives with a cure that actually works. Christopher’s Blackthorn shop is chosen to prepare the remedy. But when an assassin threatens the apothecary’s life, Christopher and his faithful friend Tom are back to hunting down the truth, risking their lives to untangle the heart of a dark conspiracy. And as the sickness strikes close to home, the stakes are higher than ever before…

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Alcohol consumption mentioned
    • Plague (theme)
    • Physical injury & Illness (broken bones, plague)
    • Death of a child mentioned
    • Murder including mentions of a mob lynching
    • Explosion
    • Physical assault of minors & threats of torture
    • Kidnapping & captivity
    • Animal injury (bird)

    The Blackthorn Key by Kevin Sands

    Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn—with maybe an explosion or two along the way. But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart.

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Child abuse & physical assault of a minor
    • Murder & mentions of public executions
    • Torture by acid mentioned (secondary character)
    • Explosions

    The Assassin’s Curse by Kevin Sands

    Wherever Christopher Rowe goes, adventure—and murder—follows. Even a chance to meet King Charles ends in a brush with an assassin. All that’s recovered from the killer is a coded message with an ominous sign-off: more attempts are coming. So when Christopher’s code-breaking discovers the attack’s true target, he and his friends are ordered to Paris to investigate a centuries-old curse on the French throne. And when they learn an ancient treasure is promised to any assassin who succeeds, they realize the entire royal family is at stake—as well as their own lives.

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Alcohol consumption mentioned
    • Amputation (off-page)
    • Poisoning
    • Death from impaling
    • Death from animal attack (snake, bee)
    • Death of a snake from decapitation

    Our Sister, Again by Sophie Cameron

    On the Scottish coast, Isla and her family are grieving the loss of her older sister Flora, who died three years ago. Then they’re offered the chance to be part of a top-secret trial, which revives loved ones as fully lifelike AI robots using their digital footprint. Isla has her doubts about Second Chances, but they evaporate the moment the ‘new’ Flora arrives. This girl is not some uncanny close likeness; she is Flora – a perfect replica. But not everyone on their island feels the same. And as the threats to Flora mount, she grows distant and more secretive. Will Isla be able to protect the new Flora and bring the community back together?

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Grief & loss depiction (theme)
    • Death of a sister recounted

    The Girl from Snowy River by Jackie French

    The year is 1919. Thirty years have passed since the man from Snowy River made his famous ride. But World War I still casts its shadow across a valley in the heart of Australia, particularly for orphaned sixteen-year-old Flinty McAlpine, who lost a brother when the Snowy River men marched away to war. Why has the man Flinty loves returned from the war so changed and distant? Why has her brother Andy ′gone with cattle′, leaving Flinty in charge of their younger brother and sister and with the threat of eviction from the farm she loves so dearly? A brumby muster held… Read more.

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Racism
    • Attempted rape
    • Death of a parent recounted
    • War World I (aftermath)

    The Polka Dot Shop by Laurel Remington

    When Andy’s school announces a new no-uniform policy, her classmates are over the moon – but her heart sinks. All she wants is to dress like everyone else, but her mum’s the owner of a run-down kooky vintage boutique, so she’s bound to look – well – different. But when Andy finds a gorgeous bag full of designer goodies in the shop’s storeroom, everything changes. Can she learn to love vintage, and help transform her mum’s shop into something truly special?

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Disordered & restrictive eating (implied)
    • Death of a relative in a car accident recounted

    Figure It Out, Henri Weldon by Tanita S. Davis

    Seventh grader Henrietta Weldon gets to switch schools—finally! She’ll be “mainstreaming” into public school, leaving her special education school behind. She can’t wait for her new schedule, new friends, and new classes. Henri’s dyscalculia, a learning disability that makes math challenging to process and understand, is what she expects to give her problems. What she doesn’t expect is a family feud with her sister over her new friends, joining the girls’ soccer team, and discovering poetry. Henri’s tutor and new friend, Vinnie, reminds her to take it slow. One problem at a time… Read more.

    Goodreads

    Trigger and Content Warnings

    • Anxiety
    • Bullying