Book Review - Blood Moon

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Cuthew, Lucy. (2022). BLOOD MOON. Walker Books. ISBN: 978-1536225785

2. PLOT SUMMARY

In this story, a teenager named Frankie has her first sexual experience with a boy he
really likes and starts her period. They agree it’s only blood, but soon a meme goes
around shaming her and the moment they shared. This creates a situation for online
bullying, and now Frankie has to navigate high school and struggles with deciding who
to trust during this highly emotional event.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The author addresses a rather taboo subject in many parts of the world, menstruation.
Specifically, she discusses it during an intimate moment that quickly becomes public
knowledge in the school and surrounding area with students and other young people.
Her discourse is open and honest with her vocabulary about blood, orgasms, and period
symptoms, which is refreshing when content involving menstruation is usually brushed
over or hidden behind vague language.

Incorporating the cyberbullying subject matter was really well done as the main character
expressed all her emotions of feeling embarrassed, shameful, and isolated. The author
furthered these feelings in her writing by utilizing different shapes for words and stanzas.
For example, when she was feeling a strong emotion it might be bolded, larger than the
others, or written diagonally to take up more space not only in the character’s mind but
for the reader to visualize as well.

Overall, the book would appeal to female teens as it talks about a normal bodily function
and an embarrassing first sexual encounter that could happen to anyone, and though
the character has a difficult time, the conclusion that it shouldn’t be shameful is reached.
For male teens, it could help be informative as it’s from a different perspective that’s
difficult for them to imagine. They can also relate to the male main character who tries to
support his new girlfriend and be there for her in any way he can.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

USBBY OUTSTANDING INTERNATIONAL BOOKS 2021
YALSA 2021 BEST FICTION FOR YOUNG ADULTS
KIRKUS STARRED REVIEW: “A powerful, fiercely feminist novel that normalizes
menstruation and confronts destructive cyberculture.”
BOOKLIST STARRED REVIEW: “This is, at its core, a must-read novel of empowerment
that attempts to normalize periods and offer strength to the innocent who find
themselves the center of viral humiliation”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Relatable to teenage females3
*Students could start an informational campaign about cyberbullying and suggest ways
that students can reach out to report and deal with anything they see
*Students could come up with ways to help make normal bodily functions less taboo and
more open for discussion