Maybe it’s because I’m a woman or maybe it’s because I’m a librarian, but either way, I want to take a moment to celebrate books about periods. They’ve been kind of having a moment. And I knew I wanted to share a post about periods two days ago when I finished Lily Williams and Karen Schneeman’s graphic novel published by First Second this past January called Go With the Flow. It’s a celebration of menstruation and friendship alongside actively advocating for rights.
Memorable character: While Sasha is the new girl, she’s not the most memorable. Abby is the one that’s rocking the boat. She’s the girl that wants to get something done and she uses her voice and influence through a blog and face time with the school principal about why pads and tampons aren’t stocked in the bathrooms and why they should cost money in the first place. One of the harsher realities of friendship is ushered in when Abby goes rogue and ends up putting the other girls in a tight spot where their communication sees them through (and a good ol’ fashioned apology), but you can’t blame the passionate girl for her actions when she believes so strongly. It leads to the first of a few memorable panels interspersed throughout the book for a memorable quote Abby uses in her blog said by Gloria Steinem: “If men could menstruate, men would brag about how long and how much.”
But let’s also give it up for the most memorable scene where Sasha’s blood-stained pants are showing as the girls usher her to the bathroom and why the book works so well in its graphic novel format. Most can empathize or sympathize with her situation and it’s the kind of thing that is discussed in other books discussing periods: the truthful portrayal.
I advise graphic novel lovers, middle grade fans, advocates, and the like to read and purchase multiple copies of this book to share. It allows girls to be seen by showing the myriad of experiences with periods.
And once you’re done with Go With the Flow, I urge you to pick up others that cover the same topic. Here are some of my other favorites.
Fat Tuesday is also Paczki Day. Paczkis are Polish doughnuts usually with jelly filling and rolled in either powdered sugar or granulated sugar. They’re made on Fat Tuesday in preparation for the Lenten season’s austerity. This past Monday, I homemade them and was excited to share them with my family, colleagues, and neighbors who all know my love for baking.
Romance is not a category of fiction that I seek out regularly. But give me a good romance on the small screen like Netflix has done with Jenny Han’s book series and I’m sold.
Marie Lu’s Rebel, the fourth book in the Legend world that takes place in the future in which Daniel’s brother, Eden, is attending university in Antarctica where they’ve settled while June is still working in the Republic. The story, like Lu’s others, have two narrators that are differentiated by the text color as they pace the book out with the developing conflict as it switches fluidly back and forth. The world she creates is superb and the futuristic action is heart-pounding.
Monica Hesse’s yet-to-be-released They Went Left that’s anticipated for an April release. Not only have I read Hesse’s other YA historical fiction titles, but her adult nonfiction book American Fire. All showcase her skillful writing. This one fits in a newer focus of YA books on the liberation of Jews after World War II like the Morris finalist from last year, What The Night Sings by Vesper Stemper. Hesse dives into this world with Zofia, who has lost most of her family but still holds out hope that her younger brother Abek has survived. Shifting to several places before settling into a relocation camp where she meets a brooding boy, Josef, she is reunited with Abek but questions about what both boys have been through since the war broke out provide the riveting content of the book’s second half. Put this at the top of your list for April.
Here were some of my favorites to discuss:
Readers Be Advised 