SLAY — Content Guide for Parents
Found in this book
- ViolenceSupporting
- Scary contentBrief
- Race & cultureCentral
- ProfanityBrief
- Sexual contentSupporting
- Gender rolesBriefChallenges traditional roles
Not found
- Religion
- Climate
- Gender & orientation
Content themes
Factual summary of themes present in this book. No opinion — just the facts.
Get the full theme breakdown in the app
Summaries and source quotes for every theme.
Download for iOSExample theme card
Religion
PRESENTContains references to prayer and church attendance. A minister character plays a supporting role in two chapters.
About this book
“Gripping and timely.” —People
“The YA debut we’re most excited for this year.” —Entertainment Weekly
“A book that knocks you off your feet while dropping the kind of knowledge that’ll keep you down for the count. Prepare to BE slain.” —Nic Stone, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Martin and Odd One Out
Ready Player One meets The Hate U Give in this dynamite debut novel that follows a fierce teen game developer as she battles a real-life troll intent on ruining the Black Panther–inspired video game she created and the safe community it represents for Black gamers.
By day, seventeen-year-old Kiera Johnson is an honors student, a math tutor, and one of the only Black kids at Jefferson Academy. But at home, she joins hundreds of thousands of Black gamers who duel worldwide as Nubian personas in the secret multiplayer online role-playing card game, SLAY. No one knows Kiera is the game developer, not her friends, her family, not even her boyfriend, Malcolm, who believes video games are partially responsible for the “downfall of the Black man.”
But when a teen in Kansas City is murdered over a dispute in the SLAY world, news of the game reaches mainstream media, and SLAY is labeled a racist, exclusionist, violent hub for thugs and criminals. Even worse, an anonymous troll infiltrates the game, threatening to sue Kiera for “anti-white discrimination.”
Driven to save the only world in which she can be herself, Kiera must preserve her secret identity and harness what it means to be unapologetically Black in a world intimidated by Blackness. But can she protect her game without losing herself in the process?
Frequently asked questions
Is SLAY appropriate for a 7-year-old?
A teen is murdered over a dispute in the game, which sets the plot in motion, and one reviewer also notes video game violence and an emotionally abusive relationship. The story includes a murder and a teen relationship with emotional abuse, which the parents' guide lists under violence and scariness.
Does SLAY have violence?
Found (Supporting): A teen is murdered over a dispute in the game, which sets the plot in motion, and one reviewer also notes video game violence and an emotionally abusive relationship.
Does SLAY have scary content?
Found (Brief): The story includes a murder and a teen relationship with emotional abuse, which the parents' guide lists under violence and scariness.
Does SLAY have religion?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does SLAY have race & culture?
Found (Central): The story follows a Black teen who builds a game for Black players and fights accusations of racism, a white supremacist troll and everyday racism at her mostly white school.
Does SLAY have profanity?
Found (Brief): The parents' guide describes infrequent swearing, and the excerpt includes a few swear words.
Does SLAY have climate?
Not found in the sources we checked.
Does SLAY have sexual content?
Found (Supporting): The main character is sexually active with her boyfriend at her parents' home, with their permission, according to the parents' guide.
Does SLAY have gender roles?
Found (Brief, Challenges traditional roles): The story includes a feminist school group and a boyfriend who complains about not getting respect, and a reviewer notes the book's feminist aspects.
Does SLAY have gender & orientation?
Not found in the sources we checked.
