Calvert Library's Book Bites for Kids

The Moon Within by Aida Salazar

Episode Summary

Celi Rivera is an 11-year-old who is experiencing some new changes in her life. Her body is changing, she’s attracted to a boy for the first time, and her best friend is exploring what it means to be genderfluid. But the biggest thought swirling through her mind is about her mother’s insistence on holding a moon ceremony for Celi when her first period arrives. This is an ancestral Mexican ritual that Celi doesn’t want to have anything to do with. Can she find the strength to overpower her fear, embrace this ancestral tradition, and just be herself?

Episode Notes

Enjoy our presentation of The Moon Within written by Aida Salazar and published by Scholastic Inc. Celi Rivera is an 11-year-old who is experiencing some new changes in her life. Her body is changing, she’s attracted to a boy for the first time, and her best friend is exploring what it means to be genderfluid. But the biggest thought swirling through her mind is about her mother’s insistence on holding a moon ceremony for Celi when her first period arrives. This is an ancestral Mexican ritual that Celi doesn’t want to have anything to do with out of fear of embarrassment. Can she find the strength to overpower her fear, embrace this ancestral tradition, and just be herself?

This title won the Golden Poppy Award, Nerdy Book Award, and the NCTE Notable Poetry and Verse Novel Award.

The Moon Within is recommended for ages 8-12. Please see Good Reads for more information and reviews. https://bit.ly/MoonWithin_Reviews

This title is available as an eBook on Libby by Overdrive.

Libby eBook - https://bit.ly/MoonWithin_LibbyeBook

Please visit www.calvertlibrary.info for more information.

Music: Dub the Uke (excerpt) by Kara Square (c) copyright 2016. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Noncommercial (3.0) license. http://dig.ccmixter.org/files/mindmapthat/53340