CODE RED

Heather Sorensen rose from poverty to lead a major menstrual products company, but she’s MIA when her daughter gets her first period.

Eden, 13, was fulfilling Heather’s lofty dream for her future—Olympic medal–winning gymnast—until a growth spurt and injury cut it short. Though less invested in her divorced mother’s ambitions, Eden feels lost: Gymnastics always came first, leaving little time for friends. She rarely sees her pilot dad and is often alone in the enormous Seattle-area mansion she shares with Heather, whose high-profile career trumps parenting. Heather’s appearance at a career day assembly to extol her company, MySecret, leaves Eden feeling humiliated and a target for teasing. After she defends herself against a harassing boy with help from classmate Maribel, both girls are suspended. With Heather unreachable, Maribel’s mom brings them to the food pantry she manages, where Eden starts her period. Maribel’s Guatemalan immigrant family take to Eden, as do their friends Will, a trans boy, and his mom, Raven (who are White, like Eden). Raven’s small nonprofit makes and distributes free, reusable cloth menstrual pads. Learning about period poverty (and poverty, period), Eden ponders ways to fund period products and gets a crash course in income inequality, but her commitment to social justice strains her relationship with Heather. Readers learn about these subjects alongside Eden in a well-integrated way and will root for the quirky, well-rounded characters who challenge outdated cultural taboos.

Character-driven, thought-provoking, often funny, and, above all, timely.