Bullying & Hazing – Page 3 – Trigger Warning Database

I Know You Started It by Daphne Benedis-Grab

There’s a fire in a seventh grader’s locker! Is it arson? A prank gone wrong? An accident? Eva, Dani, Liam, and Gabe are determined to figure out who started the fire, and why. And they each have their own reasons for wanting to be the first ones to figure out what really happened. While the administration is looking into it, evidence is scarce. It will take four students who can tap into the rumors, gossip, and hidden secrets of their school to uncover what really went on the day of the fire. And if they don’t figure it out in time? Well, one of them could be accused of the crime. But… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Fire (theme)
Bullying & cyberbullying
Blackmail

Taking Up Space by Alyson Gerber

Sarah loves basketball more than anything. Crushing it on the court makes her feel like she matters. And it’s the only thing that helps her ignore how much it hurts when her mom forgets to feed her. But lately Sarah can’t even play basketball right. She’s slower now and missing shots she should be able to make. Her body doesn’t feel like it’s her own anymore. She’s worried that changing herself back to how she used to be is the only way she can take control over what’s happening. When Sarah’s crush asks her to be partners in a cooking competition, she feels pulled in a million…. Read more,

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Parent & protagonist with disordered eating, including calorie counting & restrictive eating, and discussions of weight loss (theme), including child neglect (specifically forgetting to feed her child)
Bullying

Phoenix by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Harper’s life just exploded. Her parents are getting a divorce. And she suspects her best friend, Cat, may have known the reason for it long before she did. Now Harper and her mom are starting over in a cramped house, in a new town, where everything feels unfamiliar, including the riding barn next door. There, Harper watches the kids she avoids at her new school take lessons. Harper’s never been around horses before. And no, she does not want to learn to ride. Then with no warning, a truck dumps a starved and neglected horse right in Harper’s yard. She has no idea… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism
Parental divorce discussed (theme)
Bullying
Animal death (chickens)

Kiss and Tell by Adib Khorram

Hunter never expected to be a boy band star, but, well, here he is. He and his band Kiss & Tell are on their first major tour of North America, playing arenas all over the United States and Canada (and getting covered by the gossipy press all over North America as well). Hunter is the only gay member of the band, and he just had a very painful breakup with his first boyfriend–leaked sexts, public heartbreak, and all–and now everyone expects him to play the perfect queer role model for teens. But Hunter isn’t really sure what being the perfect queer kid even means. Does it… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism with mentions of colourism, homophobia & slut-shaming
Sexual assault (groping) & sexual harassment, including statutory sexual assault and attempted statutory rape of an inebriated minor (protagonist)
Image-based sexual abuse (protagonist’s ex-partner leaks sexts online, mentions of unsolicited nude photos from fans)
Panic attack
Dieting mentioned
Alcohol consumption & mentions of alcohol abuse by ex-partner
Graphic sports injury
Death of a father in a car accident mentioned
Bullying recounted & online harassment including taunts of suicide

The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar

When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants—as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life. Flávia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flávia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flávia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & cultural appropriation discussed
Lesbophobia
Forced public outing & coming out themes
Bullying

Hani and Ishu’s Guide to Fake Dating by Adiba Jaigirdar

Everyone likes Humaira “Hani” Khan—she’s easy going and one of the most popular girls at school. But when she comes out to her friends as bisexual, they invalidate her identity, saying she can’t be bi if she’s only dated guys. Panicked, Hani blurts out that she’s in a relationship…with a girl her friends absolutely hate—Ishita “Ishu” Dey. Ishu is the complete opposite of Hani. She’s an academic overachiever who hopes that becoming head girl will set her on the right track for college. But Ishita agrees to help Hani, if Hani will help her become more popular so that she… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism & Islamophobia
Lesbophobia, biphobia & coming out themes
Disownment
Toxic friendships (theme)
Alcohol consumption discussed
Bullying
False allegations of cheating on a school test

Falling Short by Ernesto Cisneros

Isaac and Marco already know sixth grade is going to change their lives. But it won’t change things at home—not without each other’s help. This year, star basketball player Isaac plans on finally keeping up with his schoolwork. Better grades will surely stop Isaac’s parents from arguing all the time. Meanwhile, straight-A Marco vows on finally winning his father’s approval by earning a spot on the school’s basketball team. But will their friendship and support for each other be enough to keep the two boys from falling short?

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Sexism
Parental abandonment & neglect discussed
Parental separation discussed
Parent with alcohol abuse issues, including mentions hospitalisation after a drunk driving accident

Queso, Just in Time by Ernesto Cisneros

Quetzalcóatl Castillo—Queso for short—has had an ache in his heart that won’t go away ever since his father’s death. More than anything, he wishes he could spend time with his dad again. After whispering that wish one night under the light of the moon, Queso wakes up the next morning in 1985. With 12-year-old Pancho—the kid who will grow up to be his dad. Even though he has no idea what to do, Queso is just happy to be by his dad’s side again. But while Pancho is confident when scoring on the foosball table or standing up to bullies, he doesn’t think he’s smart enough to reach for his dreams. If only Pancho believed in himself the… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Racism
Homophobia & transphobia
Grief & loss depiction
Murder of a father (shot during a home invasion)
Bullying

Fat Girl on a Plane by Kelly deVos

High school senior Cookie Vonn’s post-graduation dreams include getting out of Phoenix, attending Parsons and becoming the next great fashion designer. But in the world of fashion, being fat is a cardinal sin. It doesn’t help that she’s constantly compared to her supermodel mother—and named after a dessert. Thanks to her job at a fashion blog, Cookie scores a trip to New York to pitch her portfolio and appeal for a scholarship, but her plans are put on standby when she’s declared too fat to fly. Forced to turn to her BFF for cash, Cookie buys a second seat on the plane. She… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Fatphobia & body shaming (theme)
Dieting & weight loss (on-page)
Bullying

The Fall of Iris Henley by Jennifer Graham

All it takes to ruin someone’s life is the stroke of a key. Just ask Iris Henley. Her life is destroyed when someone posts an anonymous message on her high school’s subreddit thread: “Iris Henley is a killer. I’ve been too scared to come forward until now, but I saw her murder Rocky and Lynette last summer.” Just like that, Iris loses everything. Her reputation. Her friends. Her hope of getting into college on scholarship. Even, possibly, her freedom, once the police start to investigate. After all, she’s the perfect suspect: Rocky was her boyfriend, and Lynette was her ex-best friend—and… Read more.

Goodreads • The Story Graph

Trigger and Content Warnings

Toxic friendship
Suicide mentioned
Alcohol consumption & drug abuse
Murder
Kidnapping mentioned
Bullying & cyberbullying
Stalking mentioned