This powerful, timely novel in verse exposes provocative truths about

periods, sex, shame, and going viral for all the wrong reasons.

After school one day, Frankie, a lover of physics and

astronomy, has her first sexual experience with quiet and
gorgeous Benjamin—and gets her period. It’s only blood,
they agree. But soon a gruesome meme goes viral, turning
an intimate, affectionate afternoon into something sordid,
mortifying, and damaging. In the time it takes to swipe a
screen, Frankie’s universe implodes. Who can she trust? Not
Harriet, her suddenly cruel best friend, and certainly not
Benjamin, the only one who knew about the incident. As the
online shaming takes on a horrifying life of its own, Frankie
begins to wonder: is her normal life over?

Author Lucy Cuthew slices to the heart of what it is to be a On sale September 1, 2020
HC: 978-1-5362-1503-8
teen today with this fearless and ultimately uplifting novel in $18.99 ($24.99 CAN)
verse. Brimming with emotion, the story captures the intensity Also available as an e-book and in audio
of friendships, first love, and female desire while unflinchingly Age 14 and up • 400 pages

exploring the culture of online and menstrual shaming. Sure

to be a conversation starter, Blood Moon is the unforgettable #bloodmoon
portrait of one girl’s fight to reclaim her reputation and to
stand up against a culture that says periods are dirty.

“With every verse of her debut, Cuthew shouts

down the shame, chips away at the period taboo,
and firmly establishes herself as a bold and vital
new voice in feminist literature.”
—Samantha Shannon, author of The Bone Season
A Note from the Author

Dear Reader,

I read an article about the millions of hours of school missed by girls because of their
periods, often due to embarrassment or shame. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I knew
I had to write about it. When I was a teenager, I wrote my diary in poems, and so I tried
using the intimate style of verse to write about a teenager and her period.

I imagined this girl, Frankie, to be intelligent, independent, and above all confident. She is
a fierce friend, and she’s got the hots for a boy named Benjamin. They finally make out,
but at the exact moment they take things a bit further, Frankie’s period comes. I thought
she’d be embarrassed but OK about it. I thought Benjamin would be OK about it, too. But
then I wondered what would happen if it got out. What would their classmates make of it?
What would society make of it? What would the Internet make of it?

Type “Periods are” into your search engine and “disgusting” and “gross” are often in
the top results. I’ve started to share Blood Moon with school students, and every time,
without fail, one teen—usually a girl—will tell me in private that they’ve been shamed
online. Some have even moved schools as a result, and all have felt alone and scared, as
Frankie does. I hope Blood Moon will make anyone who has ever been shamed online feel
less isolated. It’s about the power of female friendships and the incredible things we can
achieve together.

I hope you enjoy Frankie’s story, and let’s get talking.

Lucy

About Lucy Cuthew

Lucy Cuthew has published more than thirty children’s books, including picture
books, educational titles, and nonfiction, and she regularly speaks on the subject
of children’s books for the BBC. She was a children’s editor for more than ten
years and recently graduated with a master’s in writing for young people from
Bath Spa University. Lucy Cuthew lives in Cardiff, Wales, with her husband and
young twins.