Kidlit – Page 138 – Trigger Warning Database

Everybody Sees the Ants by AS King

Everybody Sees the Ants by A.S. King

Lucky Linderman didn’t ask for his life. He didn’t ask his grandfather not to come home from the Vietnam War. He didn’t ask for a father who never got over it. He didn’t ask for a mother who keeps pretending their dysfunctional family is fine. And he didn’t ask to be the target of Nader McMillan’s relentless bullying, which has finally gone too far. But Lucky has a secret–one that helps him wade through the daily mundane torture of his life. In his dreams, Lucky escape to the war-ridden jungles of Laos, the prison his grandfather… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Cheating
Prescription drug abuse
Suicide discussed
Death of a grandfather in the Vietnam War recounted
Physical assault
Graphic bullying (theme)

The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham

The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham

Amber craves excitement and adventure. Instead, she’s being bullied at school for having two dads, and life at home isn’t much better. Inspired by Oscar Wilde, Amber realizes that among the millions of people in London, there must be others who feel the same as she does; other dreamers – moonlight dreamers. After chance encounters with Maali, Sky and Rose, Amber soon recruits the three girls to the Moonlight Dreamers. It’s high time they started pursuing their dreams, and how better than with the support of friends?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexual assault

The World on Either Side by Diane Terrana

The World on Either Side by Diane Terrana

After the death of her boyfriend, sixteen-year old Valentine stops going to school, quits seeing her friends, and, finally, won’t leave her bed. Desperate for her daughter to recover, Valentine’s mother takes her on a trek in Thailand. In the mountains north of Chiang Mai, Valentine finds a world she didn’t know existed, where houses are on stilts and elephants still roam wild. She learns about the Burmese civil war and the relentless violence against the Karen and Rohingya peoplest… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Human trafficking
Rape
Depression
Attempted suicide by overdose
Self-harm (cutting)
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a boyfriend recounted
Murder
Graphic animal cruelty & abuse
Poaching

The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor

The Legend of Auntie Po by Shing Yin Khor

Aware of the racial tumult in the years after the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act, Mei tries to remain blissfully focused on her job, her close friendship with the camp foreman’s daughter, and telling stories about Paul Bunyan–reinvented as Po Pan Yin (Auntie Po), an elderly Chinese matriarch. Anchoring herself with stories of Auntie Po, Mei navigates the difficulty and politics of lumber camp work and her growing romantic feelings for her friend Bee.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism
Hate crime, off-page

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

Once Upon a K-Prom by Kat Cho

Elena Soo has always felt overshadowed. Whether by her more successful older sisters, her more popular twin brother, or her more outgoing best friend, everyone except Elena seems to know exactly who they are and what they want. But she is certain about one thing – she has no interest in going to prom. While the rest of the school is giddy over corsages and dresses, Elena would rather spend her time working to save the local community centre, the one place that’s always made her feel like she belonged… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Death of a father in a car accident

Dangerous Play by Emma Kress

Dangerous Play by Emma Kress

Zoe Alamandar has one goal: win the State Field Hockey Championships and earn a scholarship that will get her the hell out of Central New York. She and her co-captain Ava Cervantes have assembled a fierce team of dedicated girls who will work hard and play by the rules. But after Zoe is sexually assaulted at a party, she finds a new goal: make sure no girl feels unsafe again. Zoe and her teammates decide to stop playing by the rules and take justice into their own hands. Soon, their suburban town has a team of superheroes meting out punishments, but one night of vigilantism may cost Zoe her team, her scholarship, and her future.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Sexism
Rape mentioned
Sexual assault
Sexual harassment
Emesis

The Flywheel by Erin Gough

The Flywheel by Erin Gough

Seventeen-year-old Del drops out of high school when her romance with another girl goes horribly wrong. Preferring chaos to bullying, Del makes it her mission to save her dad’s crumbling café, the Flywheel, while he ‘finds himself’ overseas. Accompanied by her charming troublemaker best friend Charlie, Del sets out to save the cafe, keep Charlie out of prison, and maybe get a date with Rosa, the beautiful flamenco dancer from across the road. But when life is messy enough as it is, can girl-on-girl romance ever have a happy ending?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Lesbomisia
Bullying

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

In the months following his father’s suicide, sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto can’t seem to find happiness again, despite the support of his girlfriend, Genevieve, and his overworked mom. Grief and the smile-shaped scar on his wrist won’t let him forget the pain. But when Aaron meets Thomas, a new kid in the neighbourhood, something starts to shift inside him. Aaron can’t deny his unexpected feelings for Thomas despite the tensions their friendship has created with Genevieve and his tight-knit crew. Since Aaron can’t stay away from Thomas or turn off his newfound happiness, he considers taking drastic actions. The… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Homophobia
Depression
Self-harm
Death of a father from suicide

Fallout by Gwenda Bond

Fallout by Gwenda Bond

Lois Lane is starting a new life in Metropolis. An Army brat, Lois has lived all over—and seen all kinds of things. (Some of them defy explanation, like the near-disaster she witnessed in Kansas in the middle of one night.) But now her family is putting down roots in the big city, and Lois is determined to fit in. Stay quiet. Fly straight. As soon as she steps into her new high school, though, she can see it won’t be that easy. A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for another girl at school. They’re messing with her mind, somehow, via the high-tech immersive video gam they all… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Medical experimentation
Loss of autonomy (mind control)
Bullying

The Fandom by Anna Day

The Fandom by Anna Day

Violet’s in her element. Cosplay at the ready, she can’t wait to feel part of her favourite fandom: The Gallows Dance, a mega book and movie franchise that she and her friends know EVERY WORD of (canon and fanfic included). But at Comic Con, a freak accident transports Violet and her friends into the story for real. And in just the first five minutes, they cause the death of the heroine and get taken prisoner by the rebel group she was supposed to lead to victory… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slut-shaming