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gtea_reader's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
paperbacks_n_frybread's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Transphobia
therealbel's review against another edition
5.0
A beautiful coming of age story, written in verse. It feels like a privilege to have been part of Celi’s journey, to have seen how she feels, how she acts and how she loves. A great book.
lorithereadingfairy's review against another edition
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
bickie's review against another edition
Many of my students will appreciate this book as they approach puberty and menstruation. It is highly readable and mentions questions "Like, why have my armpits begun to smell? Or how big will my breasts grow? Or when exactly will my period come?" on the first page. Celi sorts out her feelings about a boy, Iván, especially with regard to her school nemesis Aurora and best friend Magda. Celi's confusion about liking Iván while wanting to be a good friend to Magna feels realistic, particularly for a nearly-12-year-old.
Throughout, Celi refers to her heart as her "locket," something she opens and closes to share/hide at certain times.
The book is divided into 4 parts labeled New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Last Quarter Moon, each with a quotation accompanying it. The moon phases do not coincide with the actual moon phases in the story.
Throughout, Celi refers to her heart as her "locket," something she opens and closes to share/hide at certain times.
The book is divided into 4 parts labeled New Moon, First Quarter Moon, Full Moon, and Last Quarter Moon, each with a quotation accompanying it. The moon phases do not coincide with the actual moon phases in the story.
Spoiler
One thing that is bothersome is Celi's mother's refusal to give Celi any agency in what she chooses to share about her changing body with family and community. While Mima's ideas end up working for Celi in the end, there is only a half-hearted mention that once they've prepared everything, Celi could change her mind about the ceremony. She doesn't change her mind, but Mima doesn't encourage discussion or thinking/feeling things through openly. There is some mention about not dating, not having a cell phone, not wearing makeup or cropped tops, until a certain age as well, but a ceremony that is supposed to celebrate Celi's changing body seems like something she should feel she wants rather than be imposed on her like the other rules. It also felt a little boundary-crossing-ish that her mom fished her soiled underwear out of the trash so they could use the first blood in the ceremony.libwinnie's review against another edition
1.0
The free verse was nice, though nothing outstanding. I appreciated the honest discussion of a girl's emotions around the changes in her body and her experience of her first period. I also really appreciated the gender fluidity of her best friend and the way their culture embraced it. The Mexica culture was vividly portrayed. My main issue with this book was the mother forcing her daughter to participate in a moon ceremony. Though I understand that the premise of the ceremony is to celebrate, it felt a bit too much like taking the power away from the girl rather than giving it to her. It might be my personal bias and it may very well be a cultural difference.
sparklethenpop's review against another edition
4.0
Passing this one along to my younger daughter. Such a powerful little book.
gillianalice's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
A lovely book for young people. My only complaint was the mother's absolute refusal to hear Celi when she said she just wanted privacy. But I really liked the writing, and it ended well.
I hate that people in my parish tried to get this book removed from the public library just because it talks about menstruation and because there's a non-binary character.
I hate that people in my parish tried to get this book removed from the public library just because it talks about menstruation and because there's a non-binary character.
jwinchell's review against another edition
4.0
Salazar has done something very special here in creating a novel in verse about menstruation. Other than Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, can you think of any novels for young people about this rite of passage? Like Celi’s cringing, I found myself recoiling at Mima’s insistence on having a moon ceremony for her when the time comes. This is our cultural conditioning to see menstruation as dirty and private and not something to be acknowledged or even celebrated. Celi’s friend Magda/Marco is gender fluid and how each navigates this evolving identity is a big part of the story. (Celi’s apology was a bit too pat for me.) I appreciated the author’s notes at the end and the moon cycle template one can use for journaling.
“I chose to write my version of a Xicana moon ceremony because I believe the forgetting, erasing, and lack of access to this information has contributed to the negative ways many Xicanas see menstruation.”
Here’s to getting this unique book into the right hands.
“I chose to write my version of a Xicana moon ceremony because I believe the forgetting, erasing, and lack of access to this information has contributed to the negative ways many Xicanas see menstruation.”
Here’s to getting this unique book into the right hands.
inkstndfngrs's review against another edition
2.0
On one hand, my opinion of this book means nothing as a Midwestern white person.
On the other hand, I am part of the LGBTQ+ community, and identified as a woman for the first 30-odd years of my life before accepting my non-binary identity.
But where do I even start with this?
First, I knew already that I was going to have a hard time with this one because it's in verse. And I *loath* books in verse. The only thing I hate more is present tense fiction. But, I had to read this because of a book challenge issued to a local school district, and I'm on the committee to decide to keep it or not (spoiler alert: I may not have liked it, but I don't believe in censorship). One perk: It was about an hour and a half to read it.
I have two major issues with this book. First, the Moon Ceremony. Celi tells her mother (Memi) *repeatedly* that she does not want to have this ceremony and wants her menstruation to remain private. Her mother spouts off about "reclaiming the traditions that were taken from us" and waxes rhapsodic about the glory of being a woman. Even at the end, when it finally happens --Celi is STILL telling her mother no, and her mom basically says "Too bad! It's happening!".
This is just so frustrating. People with vaginas are already constantly told that their bodies are not their own. Her mother's attitude comes from a "horrifying" experience of "not being prepared" for her first time --but the thing is: SHE PREPARED CELI! Not to mention that her Grandmother is later part of the ceremony, along with with her transwoman friend? WHO DOESN'T EVEN MENSTRUATE? WHAT?! And yes, Celi does eventually have "fun" (we assume?) at the ceremony, and Mar even takes part in it as well, which probably relieved some of anxiety around the situation.
Several others have mentioned the scene at the very beginning of the book where Memi calls in Celi's Dad and Brother to check out her new bra. Again, no, it's not sexual, but OH MY GOD. I'm dying from the secondhand embaressment. If I didn't *have* to read this book, I would have stopped then and just been like, "nope!".
My other issue comes around Mar. They embrace him as a sort of two-spirit person (I can't spell the word they used in the book; thank god Celi added a pronunciation in the text). Many reviewers call him "genderfluid". But...that's not really accurate and is never used anywhere in the text. I also didn't really like that they basically told him "You'll get your period too, but it's okay because you have both man and woman spirit in you, so it'll be cool!".
...No. No, that isn't how it works. And while all the grown-ups in their life embrace Marco (nee Magda) and their transitioning, Celi is rather blindsided by it. The plotline around Ivan being a jerk to Mar is also kind of contrived. A lot of that is very cliche (as is getting her period for the first time in white pants --I knew it was coming the SECOND I saw the line...)
I also really, really hated everything about the lunar calendar and menses. The book goes as far as INCLUDING A CALENDAR to "help track". ...I have never had a regular period, my entire life. I have PCOS. In fact, in my family, only my little sister is lucky enough to have a period like clock-work. Hardly any of my friends are this insanely regular either. So, no...no, this does not apply to "all women" and honestly if I had read this when I was a teen, I would have been terrified and wondered what the heck was wrong with me. (Another Spoiler Alert: I have PCOS, but it wasn't diagnosed until I was 30, even though I underwent various tests for it a few years prior... Thanks Healthcare System!)
So...yeah. I just...I cannot with this book. I am sure that there are cisgirls out there who are going to love and appreciate this book and find the lunar thing "magical" and "reassuring"...but it really just made me feel like a failure of a person with a vagina.
If you're gender non-conforming, maybe do yourself a favor and just skip this one. It's not worth the possible dysphoria.
On the other hand, I am part of the LGBTQ+ community, and identified as a woman for the first 30-odd years of my life before accepting my non-binary identity.
But where do I even start with this?
First, I knew already that I was going to have a hard time with this one because it's in verse. And I *loath* books in verse. The only thing I hate more is present tense fiction. But, I had to read this because of a book challenge issued to a local school district, and I'm on the committee to decide to keep it or not (spoiler alert: I may not have liked it, but I don't believe in censorship). One perk: It was about an hour and a half to read it.
I have two major issues with this book. First, the Moon Ceremony. Celi tells her mother (Memi) *repeatedly* that she does not want to have this ceremony and wants her menstruation to remain private. Her mother spouts off about "reclaiming the traditions that were taken from us" and waxes rhapsodic about the glory of being a woman. Even at the end, when it finally happens --Celi is STILL telling her mother no, and her mom basically says "Too bad! It's happening!".
This is just so frustrating. People with vaginas are already constantly told that their bodies are not their own. Her mother's attitude comes from a "horrifying" experience of "not being prepared" for her first time --but the thing is: SHE PREPARED CELI! Not to mention that her Grandmother is later part of the ceremony, along with with her transwoman friend? WHO DOESN'T EVEN MENSTRUATE? WHAT?! And yes, Celi does eventually have "fun" (we assume?) at the ceremony, and Mar even takes part in it as well, which probably relieved some of anxiety around the situation.
Several others have mentioned the scene at the very beginning of the book where Memi calls in Celi's Dad and Brother to check out her new bra. Again, no, it's not sexual, but OH MY GOD. I'm dying from the secondhand embaressment. If I didn't *have* to read this book, I would have stopped then and just been like, "nope!".
My other issue comes around Mar. They embrace him as a sort of two-spirit person (I can't spell the word they used in the book; thank god Celi added a pronunciation in the text). Many reviewers call him "genderfluid". But...that's not really accurate and is never used anywhere in the text. I also didn't really like that they basically told him "You'll get your period too, but it's okay because you have both man and woman spirit in you, so it'll be cool!".
...No. No, that isn't how it works. And while all the grown-ups in their life embrace Marco (nee Magda) and their transitioning, Celi is rather blindsided by it. The plotline around Ivan being a jerk to Mar is also kind of contrived. A lot of that is very cliche (as is getting her period for the first time in white pants --I knew it was coming the SECOND I saw the line...)
I also really, really hated everything about the lunar calendar and menses. The book goes as far as INCLUDING A CALENDAR to "help track". ...I have never had a regular period, my entire life. I have PCOS. In fact, in my family, only my little sister is lucky enough to have a period like clock-work. Hardly any of my friends are this insanely regular either. So, no...no, this does not apply to "all women" and honestly if I had read this when I was a teen, I would have been terrified and wondered what the heck was wrong with me. (Another Spoiler Alert: I have PCOS, but it wasn't diagnosed until I was 30, even though I underwent various tests for it a few years prior... Thanks Healthcare System!)
So...yeah. I just...I cannot with this book. I am sure that there are cisgirls out there who are going to love and appreciate this book and find the lunar thing "magical" and "reassuring"...but it really just made me feel like a failure of a person with a vagina.
If you're gender non-conforming, maybe do yourself a favor and just skip this one. It's not worth the possible dysphoria.