Category Archives: Kidlit

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

Breathe by Sarah Crossan

The world has no air. If you want to survive, you pay to breathe. But what if you can’t? And what if you think everything could be different? Three teens will leave everything they know behind in Sarah Crossan’s gripping and original dystopian teen novel of danger, longing, and glimmering hope.

Ever since the Switch, when the oxygen levels plummeted and most of humanity died, the survivors have been protected in glass domes full of manufactured air. Protected . . . or trapped? Or controlled? Alina’s a revolutionary who believes we can save the environment. Quinn’s a Premium who’s never had to worry about having enough air. His best friend, Bea, is an Auxiliary who’s never worried about anything but having enough air. When the three cross paths, they will change everything.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Coerced alcohol consumption
  • Gun violence
  • Knife violence
  • Physical assault
  • Riot

Breathe My Name by RA Nelson 

Breathe My Name by R.A. Nelson

I need to see you. Please come right away. We have to finish.

Frances Robinson is in high school now. She lives a quiet, suburban life, far from her horrifying past. When she was a child, her birthmother smothered her three sisters. Through pure luck, Frances survived. Now her mother has just been released from prison . . . and she wants to see Frances.

A new boy at school called Nix charms Frances. Together, Nix and Frances embark on a clandestine journey to visit Frances’ mother: to confront the monster in its lair. This trip will help Frances at last find peace or die trying. But no matter what, Frances will discover just what it means to finish.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Blood depiction
  • Death of sisters recounted
  • Filicide by suffocation recounted
  • Murder & attempted murder
  • Parent in incarceration

Take Me with You When You Go by Jennifer Niven and David Levithan

Take Me with You When You Go by Jennifer Niven & David Levithan

Ezra Ahern wakes up one day to find his older sister, Bea, gone. Nothing but an email address hidden somewhere only he would find it. Ezra never expected to be left behind with their abusive stepfather and their neglectful mother – how is he supposed to navigate life without Bea?

Bea Ahern already knew she needed to get as far away from home as possible. But a message in her inbox changes everything, and she finds herself alone in a new city – without Ez, without a real plan – chasing someone who might not even want to be found.

Together and apart, broken by abuse but connected by love, this brother and sister must learn to trust themselves before they can find a way back to each other.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Child abuse & neglect
  • Sibling abuse mentioned
  • Death of a parent
  • Gun violence recounted

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven

Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed “America’s Fattest Teen.” But no one’s taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom’s death, she’s been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby’s ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for every possibility life has to offer. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything. 

Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he’s got swagger, but he’s also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Fatmisia & body shaming
  • Anxiety & panic attacks
  • Bullying

Needlework by Julia Watts 

Needlework by Julia Watts 

While other sixteen-year-old boys in Morgan, Kentucky, love hunting and football, Kody prefers to spend his time quilting with his grandmother (“Nanny”), watching Golden Girls reruns, and listening to old Dolly Parton albums. Nanny is Kody’s main caregiver, but it takes both Nanny and Kody to take care of Kody’s mother, whose drug problem is spinning out of control. Between looking after Mommy and trying to survive in a place that doesn’t look kindly on feminine boys, Kody already has a hard time making sense of his life. But then he uncovers a family secret that will change everything in his life.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Religious homomisia
  • Parent with a substance addiction
  • Death of a parent

Breathless by Jennifer Niven

Breathless by Jennifer Niven

Before: With graduation on the horizon, budding writer Claudine Henry is making plans: college in the fall, become a famous author, and maybe–finally–have sex. She doesn’t even need to be in love. Then her dad drops a bombshell: he’s leaving Claude’s mother. Suddenly, Claude’s entire world feels like a lie, and her future anything but under control.

After: Claude’s mom whisks them away to the last place Claude could imagine nursing a broken heart: a remote, mosquito-infested island off the coast of Georgia. But then Jeremiah Crew happens. Miah is a local trail guide with a passion for photography–and a past he doesn’t like to talk about. He’s brash and enigmatic, and even more infuriatingly, he’s the only one who seems to see Claude for who she wants to be…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Alcohol consumption
  • Suicide discussed
  • Drowning

Love Somebody by Rachel Roasek

Love Somebody by Rachel Roasek

Sam Dickson is a charismatic actress, ambitious and popular with big plans for her future. Ros Shew is one of the smartest people in school–but she’s a loner, and prefers to keep it that way. Then there’s Christian Powell, the darling of the high school soccer team. He’s not the best with communication, which is why he and Sam broke up after dating for six months; but he makes up for it by being genuine, effusive, and kind, which is why they’re still best friends.

When Christian falls for Ros on first sight, their first interaction is a disaster, so he enlists Sam’s help to get through to her. Sam, with motives of her own, agrees to coach Christians…. Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Queermisia mentioned
  • Sexual assault (nonconsensual kiss)
  • Child abandonment
  • Death of a parent from cancer mentioned

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

The Kindred by Alechia Dow

Joy Abara knows her place. A commoner from the lowly planet Hali, she lives a simple life—apart from the notoriety that being Kindred to the nobility’s most infamous playboy brings.

Duke Felix Hamdi has a plan. He will exasperate his noble family to the point that they agree to let him choose his own future and finally meet his Kindred face-to-face.

Then the royal family is assassinated, putting Felix next in line for the throne…and accused of the murders. Someone will stop at nothing until he’s dead, which means they’ll target Joy, too.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Body-shaming & fatmisia
  • Alcohol use
  • Blood depiction
  • Physical injury
  • Death
  • Murder
  • Torture
  • Captivity
  • Poverty themes
  • War themes
  • Mind control & loss of autonomy

What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

What Kind of Girl by Alyssa B. Sheinmel

It all started when Mike Parker’s girlfriend showed up with a bruise on her face. Or, more specifically, when she walked into the principal’s office and said Mike hit her. But her classmates have questions. Why did she go to the principal and not the police? Why did she stay with Mike if he was hurting her? Obviously, if it’s true, Mike should face the consequences. But is it true?

Some girls want to rally for Mike’s expulsion—and some want to rally around Mike. As rumors about what really happened spread, the students at North Bay Academy will question what it means to be guilty or innocent, right or wrong.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Slut-shaming
  • Victim blaming
  • Relationship abuse
  • Domestic violence
  • Cheating
  • Bulimia
  • Panic attacks
  • Self-harm
  • Recreational drug use
  • Drug abuse

Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister

Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister

Cinderella Boy by Kristina Meister

Sixteen-year-old Declan is the perfect son . . . except for one tiny issue. When his sister Delia comes home to find him trying on her clothes, he fears her judgment, but she only fears his fashion choices. One quick makeover later, Declan is transformed into Delia’s mysterious cousin Layla and dragged to the party of the year, hosted by Carter, the most popular boy in school.

When Carter meets Layla, he fumbles to charm her. He adores her sense of humor and her poise. But when she vanishes in the middle of the night, he’s left confused and determined to solve the mystery of who she is.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings:

  • Queermisia
  • Queermisic & homomisic language