Kidlit – Page 53 – Trigger Warning Database

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot

The Art of Taxidermy by Sharon Kernot

Lottie collects dead creatures and lovingly cares for them, hoping to preserve them, to save them from disintegration. Her father understands—Lottie has a scientific mind, he thinks. Her aunt wants it to stop, and she goes to cruel lengths to make sure it does. And her mother? Lottie’s mother died long ago. And Lottie is searching for a way to be close to her.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Racism & racial slurs
Sexism
Grief & loss depiction
Death of a mother
Kidnapping & captivity
Hostage situation
Blackmail
Fire
Drowning
Building collapse
Colonialism
Graphic animal death & dead bodies (theme)

Black by Fleur Ferris

Black by Fleur Ferris

Ebony Marshall is in her final year of high school. Five months, two weeks and four days . . . She can’t wait to leave the town where she’s known only as ‘Black’. Because of her name, of course. But for another reason, too. Everyone says Black Marshall is cursed. Three of her best friends have died in tragic accidents. After Oscar, the whispers started. Now she’s used to being on her own. It’s easier that way. But when her date for the formal ends up in intensive care, something in quiet little Dainsfield starts to stir. Old secrets are revealed and terrifying new dangers emerge… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Domestic violence
Suicide
Death of a friend recounted
Murder
Physical assault
Car accident
Kidnapping
Bullying

Keystone by Katie Delahanty

Keystone by Katie Delahanty

When Ella Karman debuts on the Social Stock Exchange, she finds out life as a high-profile “Influencer” isn’t what she expected. Everyone around her is consumed by their rankings, in creating the smoke and mirrors that make them the envy of the world. But then Ella’s best friend betrays her, her rankings tank, and she loses—everything. Leaving her old life behind, she joins Keystone, a secret school for thieves, where students are being trained to steal everything analog and original because something—or someone—is changing history to suit their… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Child neglect & abandonment
Alcohol consumption
Drug abuse, on- & off-page

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone

Molly Frost is FED UP.. Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top when she had to keep her sweatshirt wrapped around her waist. Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn’t, wearing the exact same outfit. Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a quiz, her teacher gave her an F. Because it’s impossible to find shorts longer than her fingertips. Because girls’ bodies are not a distraction. And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and soon her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what’s right, and they’re not backing down.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Drug use & abuse mentioned
Bullying

The Loose Ends List by Carrie Firestone

Maddie has big plans to spend the last months before college tying up high school “loose ends” alongside her best friends. Then her beloved grandmother drops two bombshells: (1) Gram is dying. (2) She’s taking her entire family on a round-the-world cruise of dreams come true—but at the end, Gram won’t be returning home. With a promise to live in the now without regrets, Maddie boards the Wishwell determined to make every moment count. She finds new friends in her fellow Wishwellians, takes advantage of the trip’s many luxuries, gets even closer to her quirky family, and falls for painfully gorgeous Enzo. But despite… Read more.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Grandmother with terminal pancreatic cancer (theme)

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare

Quinn Maybrook just wants to make it until graduation. She might not make it to morning. Quinn and her father moved to tiny, boring Kettle Springs to find a fresh start. But ever since the Baypen Corn Syrup Factory shut down, Kettle Springs has cracked in half. On one side are the adults, who are desperate to make Kettle Springs great again, and on the other are the kids, who want to have fun, make prank videos, and get out of Kettle Springs as quick as they can. Kettle Springs is caught in a battle between old and new, tradition and progress. It’s a fight that looks like it will destroy the town. Until Frendo, the Baypen mascot, a… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Medical trauma & treatment
Amputation & loss of limb
Graphic burns
Dead bodies
Murder & mass murder
Gun violence
Knife violence
Physical assault
Fire
Death from a fall
Hostage situation

The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider

The Other Merlin by Robyn Schneider

Welcome to the great kingdom of Camelot. Prince Arthur’s a depressed botanist who would rather marry a library than a princess, Lancelot’s been demoted to castle guard after a terrible misunderstanding, and nothing is going according to plan. Then Arthur accidentally pulls the sword from the stone (in his defence, he was drunk and mostly kidding), and now everyone’s convinced he’s some prophesied hero. Emry Merlin is stuck in her small town. Her father, the legendary court wizard, disappeared years ago, and Emry’s been peddling theatre tricks to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Alcohol consumption
Blood depiction

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

Everyone Dies Famous in a Small Town by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock

In this book, the impact of wildfire, a wayward priest, or a mysterious disappearance ricochet across communities, threading through stories. Here, ordinary actions such as ice skating or going to church reveal hidden truths. One choice threatens a lifelong friendship. Siblings save each other. Rescue and second chances are possible, and so is revenge. On the surface, it seems that nothing ever happens in these towns. But Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock shows that underneath that surface, teenagers’ lives blaze with fury, with secrets, and with love so strong it burns a path to the future.

Goodreads

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & queerphobia
Sexual assault
Pedophilia & child sexual abuse
Cheating
Alcoholism
Drug use
Murder
Kidnapping
Car accident
Wildfire

Killer Content by Kiley Roache

Killer Content by Kiley Roache

The six teenagers who make up the Hype House seem to have it all. A beachfront Malibu mansion, millions of TikTok followers, model good looks, and sponsorship deals up to $30,000 per post. Everything’s pretty much a Gen-Z paradise. Except that one member of the house has just turned up dead in the infinity pool. And the rest of them are suspects. When the group’s TikTok account starts posting cryptic messages about the murder, the police limit their investigation to the members of the house. Now old joke videos are filed as evidence and past rivalries start to look like motives. As investigators dig into these influencers’ lives beyond their glossy internet personalities, they discover all… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Suicide
Alcohol consumption
Blood & gore depiction
Death of a friend
Murder
Gun violence

Amulet Keepers by Michael Northrop

Amulet Keepers by Michael Northrop

When Alex’s mother uses the Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead to bring him back from the brink of death, she inadvertently summons a slew of other spirits from the underworld. In Book 2, Alex and his best friend Ren head to London, where people are going missing, treasures are disappearing, and a blood rain is pouring from the skies. Can they stop a powerful Death Walker from destroying the city?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Kidnapping
Knife violence