Kidlit – Page 80 – Trigger Warning Database

The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett

The Language of Ghosts by Heather Fawcett

Forced into exile on an enchanted, moving island, ex-princess Noa Marchena has two missions: reclaim her family’s stolen throne and ensure that the dark powers her older brother, Julian, possesses don’t go to his head in the process. But between babysitting her annoying little sister, Mite, and keeping an eye on the cake-loving sea monster that guards the moving island, Noa has her hands full. When the siblings learn that their enemies are searching for a weapon capable of defeating Julian—whose legendary spell weaving is feared throughout the kingdom—once and for all, they vow to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Grief & loss depiction
Death of a parent
Human medical experimentation
Murder

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

Even the Darkest Stars by Heather Fawcett

Kamzin has always dreamed of becoming one of the emperor’s royal explorers, the elite climbers tasked with mapping the wintry, mountainous Empire and spying on its enemies. She knows she could be the best in the world if only someone would give her a chance. But everything changes when the mysterious and eccentric River Shara, the greatest explorer ever known, arrives in her village and demands to hire Kamzin—not her older sister, Lusha, as everyone had expected—for his next expedition. This is Kamzin’s chance to prove herself—even though River’s mission to… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Abandonment
Alcohol consumption
Physical injuries
Animal death & death of a pet

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon

Subhi is a refugee. Born in an Australian permanent detention centre after his mother fled the violence of a distant homeland, life behind the fences is all he has ever known. But as he grows, his imagination gets bigger too, until it is bursting at the limits of his world. The night sea brings him gifts, the faraway whales sing to him, and the birds tell their stories. The most vivid story of all, however, is the one that arrives one night in the form of Jimmie, a scruffy, impatient girl who appears from the other side of the wires and brings a notebook written by the mother she lost… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Self-harm
Murder
Hunger strike
Refugee experiences

The Ones That Disappeared by Zana Fraillon

The Ones That Disappeared by Zana Fraillon

Separated, scared and looking after a small child, Esra will do whatever she can to reunite with her friend Miran, who was captured by the police – the police who she mustn’t trust. Hiding in the shadows of the forest, Esra is found by a local boy, a boy with his own story. Together they will create a man out of mud. A man who will come to life and lead them through a dark labyrinth of tunnels until they finally have the courage the step above ground. Until they finally have the courage to speak their story. Until they finally have the courage to be free.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery
Child abuse
Death of a sibling recounted
Death of a child
Murder

How to Spell Catastrophe by Fiona Wood

How to Spell Catastrophe by Fiona Wood

Nell McPherson is a catastrophe expert, but nothing has prepared her for the impending catastrophe of her mum’s plans to merge families with boyfriend, Ted and his annoying daughter, Amelia. As if that’s not dire enough, grade six is turning into an emotional obstacle course as Nell moves away from her old spelling bee friends and into some rule-bending with new girl, Plum. When Nell decides to tackle the biggest catastrophe of them all, climate change, and campaigns for grade six to attend the School Strike 4 Climate, old friends and new will come together, and along the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Death of a father recounted

Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Fiona Wood and Simmone Howell

Take Three Girls by Cath Crowley, Fiona Wood & Simmone Howell

Ady: not the confident A-Lister she appears to be. Kate: brainy boarder taking risks to pursue the music she loves. Clem: disenchanted swim-star losing her heart to the wrong boy. All are targeted by PSST, a toxic website that deals in gossip and lies. St Hilda’s antidote to the cyberbullying? The Year 10 Wellness program. Nice try – but sometimes all it takes is three girls.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Misogyny
Slut-shaming
Queermisia
Bullying & cyberbullying

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

Beyond a Darkened Shore by Jessica Leake

The ancient land of Éirinn is mired in war. Ciara, Princess of Mide, has never known a time when Éirinn’s kingdoms were not battling for power, or Northmen were not plundering their shores. The people of Mide have thankfully always been safe because of Ciara’s unearthly ability to control her enemies’ minds and actions. But lately, a mysterious crow has been appearing to Ciara, whispering warnings of an even darker threat. Although her clansmen dismiss her visions as pagan nonsense, Ciara fears this coming evil will destroy not just Éirinn, but the entire… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Threats of rape
Body horror
Animal death
War themes

Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake

Through the White Wood by Jessica Leake

Katya’s power to freeze anything she touches has made her an outcast in her isolated village. And when she loses control of her ability, accidentally killing several villagers, she is banished to the palace of the terrifying Prince Sasha in Kiev, At the castle, though, she is surprised to find that Sasha is just like her—with his own strange talent, the ability to summon fire. Instead of punishment, Sasha offers Katya friendship, and the chance to embrace her power rather than fear it. But outside the walls of Kiev, Sasha’s enemies… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Mass murder

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst

Of Ice and Shadows by Audrey Coulthurst

Princesses Denna and Mare are in love and together at last–only to face a new set of dangers. Mare just wants to settle down with the girl she loves, which would be easier if Denna weren’t gifted with forbidden and volatile fire magic. Denna must learn to control her powers, which means travelling in secret to the kingdom of Zumorda, where she can seek training without fear of persecution. Determined to help, Mare has agreed to serve as an ambassador as a cover for their journey. But just as Mare and Denna arrive in Zumorda, an attack on a border town… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Slavery mentioned
Animal cruelty

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Doller

Stolen as a child from her large and loving family, and on the run with her mom for more than ten years, Callie has only the barest idea of what normal life might be like. She’s never had a home, never gone to school, and has gotten most of her meals from laundromat vending machines. Her dreams are haunted by memories she’d like to forget completely. But when Callie’s mom is finally arrested for kidnapping her, and Callie’s real dad whisks her back to what would have been her life, in a small town in Florida, Callie must find a way to leave the past behind. She must learn to be part of a family. And she must believe that love–even with… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger & Content Warnings

Paedophilia & child sexual assault recounted
Statutory rape
Adult-minor relationship*
Kidnapping of a child
Incarceration of a parent

* Context : The seventeen-year-old female protagonist is in a relationship with her twenty-one-year-old step-uncle.