Replica

Gemma deals with verbal bullying and fat-shaming in school. Stranger grabs a teen girl, possibly to kidnap her, but she gets away. Rocks are thrown through a house window with threatening note. Aftermath of a suicide bombing is described, including dead bodies, blown-off body parts, and blood. Man kidnaps two teens at gunpoint. One character has a flashback to having her head held underwater as punishment. Nurses and other employees grab and shove patients at Haven.

Not much sexual activity or contact, but a lot of sexual longing. Gemma's interactions with Jake and Pete are often characterized by what she finds attractive about them and whether she thinks they find her attractive. Same with Lyra, though because she's a replica, her interactions are more about figuring out what attraction is. Both stories have some kissing. Gemma references once practicing oral sex on a cucumber. She also makes lots of jokes about Pete being a "perv" and April being "horny."

Swearing is infrequent and mostly used as exclamations, including "f--k" and variations, "s--t" and variations, "goddamn," "Jesus Christ," "God," "damn," "ass," "bulls--t," "pissed," "balls," "boobs."

Gemma makes several references to her mom's dependence on various pills and using wine to self-medicate. Gemma reminisces about once trying an e-cigarette. A few mentions of high schoolers partying and drinking on spring break. Man talks about past drug addiction and how it ruined his life.

Parents need to know that Lauren Oliver's Replica is a sci-fi thriller about two girls figuring out not only who they are but why they are. The novel has two stories, "Gemma" and "Lyra." Readers can read each separately or alternate chapters between the stories, which -- depending on which story they start with -- gives them four ways to read the book. Gemma's tale has her running away from home to figure out a mystery involving her parents and possibly herself. Lyra's story is about escaping Haven, a research facility that's been her only home for as long as she can remember. The girls encounter each other, and their stories merge as they try to learn more about a dangerous, top-secret project. The stories have romance angles, and while there is little kissing or physical contact, both girls experience a lot of sexual longing and talk about the attractiveness and sexiness of male characters. The girls and their friends encounter many dangerous situations. There's some violence, including a suicide bomber, the aftermath of that bombing (blood and body parts), kids kidnapped at gunpoint, and an attempted abduction. Suspicious deaths are discussed but not shown. Gemma and Lyra are reluctant heroines, who dig deep and realize they're smarter and more resilient than they've given themselves credit for. Interesting discussions around the ethics of cloning, human experimentation, and what makes a person "human" factor heavily into both stories.