★ 01/16/2023
In this uplifting anthology of stories and poems about menstruation, 16 BIPOC writers, including Saadia Faruqi, Nikki Grimes, Erin Entrada Kelly, Christina Soontornvat, and the volume’s editors, share tales that are by turns warm, funny, and empowering. In Leah Henderson’s heartfelt “Turning Point,” soccer-loving Black tomboy Imari unexpectedly connects with her ballet-loving mother over her first period. “Shiloh: The Gender Creamsicle,” a free verse poem by Mason J., follows a brown-skinned nonbinary 11-year-old experiencing belonging at their moon party. Short story standout “Cannibal at the Door,” by Elise McMullen-Ciotti, layers the narrative of an 11-year-old reluctantly reconnecting with her mother with the Cherokee story of Stonecoat, a “lonely and hungry” monster made weak by a series of menstruating women. Honest and tender, these works explore themes of grief, friendship, and belonging against varied backdrops and intersectional identities. It’s a love letter to all who menstruate, one that’s both welcoming and inclusive—particularly to those experiencing their first period. Ages 10–up. Agents: (for Salazar) Marietta B. Zacker, Gallt & Zacker Literary; (for Saied Méndez) Linda Camacho, Gallt & Zacker Literary. (Mar.)
Salazar and Mendez say in an editors’ note, they wanted to address the lack of diversity in literature on this topic as well as undo negative assumptions. They succeeded.
—The New York Times Book Review
In this uplifting anthology of stories and poems about menstruation, 16 BIPOC writers, including Saadia Faruqi, Nikki Grimes, Erin Entrada Kelly, Christina Soontornvat, and the volume’s editors, share tales that are by turns warm, funny, and empowering. . . . Honest and tender, these works explore themes of grief, friendship, and belonging against varied backdrops and intersectional identities. . . a love letter to all who menstruate, one that’s both welcoming and inclusive—particularly to those experiencing their first period.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Sixteen short stories and poems from well-known and award-winning authors explore how young people experience and celebrate their periods. . . . a memorable anthology featuring uniformly strong entries from broadly diverse voices that delve into the subject matter in ways ideally suited to the target audience. A powerful, vibrant, and empowering celebration of an important milestone.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
This collection of short stories and poems from talented middle grade authors reassures readers that they are not alone, while conveying that every person’s experience may differ. . . this coming-of-age experience is presented as universal and relatable. . . . much-needed.
—School Library Connection (starred review)
This collection of 16 stories by celebrated BIPOC middle-grade authors captures the onset of menses from culturally diverse perspectives. . . Readers will find common threads of honesty, vulnerability, and often humor. . . Through the uplifting messages of self-discovery and affirmations of identity, readers are encouraged to think beyond the social stigma attached to menstruation and are offered assurance and connection with others going through similar experiences. An essential, compelling, and unique addition addressing a universal topic from a wide range of perspectives.
—Booklist (starred review)
The stories have broad appeal and are unified by a common thread of growing up. Issues related to race and gender, immigration status, and language diversity are set alongside culturally rich narratives about a singular and pivotal life event, giving young people an opportunity to feel seen, and less alone.
—The Horn Book
Includes perspectives from lots of different cultures.
—The New York Times for Kids
If you’re watching Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret this summer, this anthology with 16 short stories about menstruation is a perfect companion. Written by authors who are Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color, Calling the Moon showcases coming-of-age stories that range from hilarious to heartrending, helping readers understand they’re not alone in the period wilderness.
—We Are Teachers
Wonderful collection of stories celebrating and sharing fears, apprehensions, and the many emotions that come with getting your period. Wide range of identities (including nonbinary), cultures, reactions, and messages. A powerful book and a necessary resource.
—Teen Librarian Toolbox
★ 09/22/2023
Gr 4 Up—Maybe it happened at the lake, like it did for Penny. Or maybe on the court, in the middle of a game, in front of all the boys on the basketball team, like it did for Angela. Or maybe, just maybe it happened on the first day of Ramadan, ruining any chance of fasting for the first time, like it did for Layla. Everyone who menstruates has a story of the first time it happened, and a chorus of voices from around the world come together in Méndez and Salazar's anthology, through poetry and prose, through heartache and celebration, telling the stories of first periods. The subject of menstruation is so disturbingly rare, particularly in middle grade fiction. This anthology is essential for a supportive, representative library collection, not only because it features an impressive array of voices from a variety of cultures, family structures, gender identities, and views on menstruation, but also because it offers an opportunity to speak candidly about a bodily function shared by half of humanity that has been veiled in secrecy and shame for far too long. VERDICT An incredibly important and useful text, essential for all collections serving tweens.—Amira Walker
★ 2022-12-24
Sixteen short stories and poems from well-known and award-winning authors explore how young people experience and celebrate their periods.
The protagonists in this excellent, accessible middle-grade collection are all tweens and teens who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color with different cultural and faith-based beliefs, traditions, and reservations about their periods. Christina Soontornvat’s sweet and funny opening story, “The Rules of the Lake,” places a sixth grader’s first period during a much-anticipated field trip to a lake. In Ibi Zoboi’s touching “Bloodline,” 12-year-old Adjoa participates in a New Moon Rebirth ceremony in which she receives a special gift passed down from mothers to daughters in her family. Erin Entrada Kelly’s “Mother Mary, Do You Bleed?” follows a Filipina American Catholic girl who contemplates whether Jesus’ mother also had her period. While most of the stories are heartwarming and emphasize renewal and rest, the authors also delve into how their characters deal with challenges like sexism, racism, microaggressions, immigration, religion, deadnaming (one character is nonbinary), addiction, divorce, and grief. Guadalupe Garcia McCall’s emotionally resonant “Ofrendas,” for example, features three sisters, 10, 12, and 13, reeling in the aftermath of their mother’s sudden death. This is a memorable anthology featuring uniformly strong entries from broadly diverse voices that delve into the subject matter in ways ideally suited to the target audience.
A powerful, vibrant, and empowering celebration of an important milestone. (letter from the editors, resources) (Anthology. 9-13)
