Collage of YOU

Do you ever have those days when you just can't put a finger on how you are feeling? Not really sad, but not quite happy, not scared, but have a strange feeling in your tummy? Or just so happy and excited, but you're not sure why? Here's an idea that may help you to sort some of those feelings and discover something new about yourself:

Make a Collage of YOU. Get old magazines, articles, (anything you can cut out that has pictures and words), a large piece of poster board, glue or tape. Look through the magazines, focus on pictures, single words or phrases, or even colors that have some meaning to you - happy, sad, zany, funny, serious, adventurous - whatever strikes you. Do the same with the pictures, put them in a random order all over the poster board. Make drawings if you love to draw, write your own poem if you love to write. Whatever expresses your feelings and thoughts - who you are. Post this on the back of your door and when you're having one of those days - sit and look at the many things that make up the special person you are AND BE PROUD!!

Write all about it!

Have you ever had an experience that you just wanted to hold onto forever? Have you ever been so upset with someone that you couldn't even talk to them about it? You should think about keeping a journal!

The first time I ever wrote in a journal was the first day of 5th grade. My teacher announced that we would be spending the first 20 minutes of every school day writing in our own personal journals. We were each given a small notebook to decorate and personalize as our own. She said that there were many benefits to putting our thoughts into writing. Many of her students, including me, thought that journaling would be boring and a waste of time.

Each morning, I dutifully wrote about things that I had done the day before or what I was going to do that day. By the end of the school year, I realized that I looked forward to writing in my journal every day. Somewhere along the way, I had started writing about my own thoughts, feelings and dreams for life.

After that school year, I began to keep my own journal at home. I would find a spot outside under a tree or curl up next to a window. Finding solutions for my problems was so much easier when I wrote things down. I saved some of the greatest memories from middle school, high school and later on in life. Keeping a journal helped me get through some tough things in school and later in life.

What do you think about journals? Do you keep a journal? How did you start? Click here for tips on starting your own journal. Email blog@newmoon.org to let us know what you think!

How can you submit to New Moon's blog?

I got the following question in New Moon's blog email account yesterday:

Hey New Moon! I love your magazine! I've been reading it for about two years, and it's so cool to see how it's progressed. Your blog is awesome, too. I'd like to submit a story, and I was wondering if there was a word limit. Thanks! --Alex, 13

This is a good question. We haven't set a specific word limit on blog submissions, but I think we don't want anything TOO long because that's hard to read online. I think 600 words, the length of an average New Moon article, is a good maximum length for a blog post. But blog posts can also be much shorter -- even 50 words are so is long enough to be a blog post!

The type of work we accept for the blog is a little different than what we accept for the magazine. For the blog, we like posts that address things that are going on right now in the world. What's cool about the blog is that we can publish stuff right away. In the magazine, it takes a minimum of 6 months to publish news, so that makes it trickier to stay on top of current events! Our themes list on the side of the blog lets you know which categories interest us most.

And speaking of submissions, I got some great poetry submissions from Emily, 12, today. I'm posting one below:

Low Fat Water: No Sugar Added
It started with lip gloss
As simple as that
Then all kinds of make-up
Cover up baseEye liner, too
To disguise our little faces
But that's not all...

Plastic surgery
Botox and injections
Take away my wrinkles
I don't want to get old
All I want them to see me is
Perfect

Then I need to watch my weight
I need to appear healthy
Slim FastWeight Watchers
SplendaLow fat from A-Z
Soon they'll even edit water

And software
You know what they do?
Let's take off half my body weight
Blur the forehead
The world could rotate on that pimple!
And it's all cuz I wanna appear
Perfect

I can't show I'm sad
People might think something's wrong
So I smile and I laugh
I won't show that tear
And it's all cuz I wanna appear
Perfect

We're so edited out
To make a perfect impression
But is there room for living?
Is there time for being human?
Amidst all this editing?
Amidst all this editing out mistakes?
Is there time for learning and growing?
Having fun?
No
But we don't really care
Then again, there's no time for caring

Step back and look at us
Look what we've done to ourselves
And the world
Things are hardly real
They're so edited out

Look at us now
Then come back in the future
When we'll see life passing on a computer
All the tragedies will be deleted
"Tragedies"
Come back in the future
And I swear
There'll be low fat water
No sugar added

You can read more of Emily's work at www.agwritersjournal.blogspot.com!

New Moon Travels to Wisconsin!!

Yesterday was the one week anniversary of New Moon's trip to Wisconsin, where we gave a keynote address and a writing workshop at the Learn, Earn, and Prosper (LEAP) conference. The conference was an opportunity for high school girls to check out different career options. Nancy Gruver, New Moon's founder, Carly, a former Girls Editorial Board Member, and me (Lacey, assistant managing editor!) were the lucky women who got to go on the trip.

The conference was fun, but the HIGHLIGHT of the trip was getting to meet Natalia and her family. Natalia has been a long-time reader of New Moon and has written several great pieces for us, most recently "Disobedience" (Sept/Oct 2006) and, coming soon, "No Sweat!" (Nov/Dec 2006). She's also been a member of the CAB (Computer Advisory Board) since it started in summer of 2004. CAB members know her by the name of Nati.

I've admired Natalia's writing for so long that when I was on my way to her house, I felt like I was about to meet a celebrity! I felt a little nervous when we arrived, especially since I'd been driving for over six hours and felt a little disoriented. But her family was so warm and welcoming that my nervousness went away in about 15 minutes. In fact, by the end of the night, I felt as though we'd known each other for years. Considering how much work Natalia and New Moon have done together, that's kind of true.

I wish all of our readers and writers could have the chance to meet each other, but for now, I'll take you on a quick tour of our trip. (I admit I didn't take many pictures because I was having too much fun to think of the camera!) . When we first arrived, we saw this lovely dinner place setting. The bowls contain YUMMY carrot-pumpkin soup.

After a lovely vegetarian dinner, Natalia showed me the computer room where she works on her writing and also where she works during the online CAB chats. I told her that my CAB workspace is MUCH messier than hers. Maybe I'll post a picture of my CAB space sometime, complete with kitty hair and drafts of all my stories and and about a million pens without ink!

Speaking of CAB chats, Natalia recently told us in a chat that her story, "Disobedience" was actually part of a trilogy she wrote about mother-daughter relationships in Mexico, Iran, and China. Stone Soup published the Mexico and Iran stories. So I took a picture of her with all three published stories. It was interesting to see the way different magazines designed the stories. I also talked to her a bit about what it's like to work with other publications. She says that the biggest difference between Stone Soup and New Moon is that New Moon works with the writer to edit the piece, and Stone Soup publishes everything as is.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end, and after about four hours of wonderful food and conversation, we New Moonies finally (reluctantly!) decided it was time for us to head back to our hotel. So, we took one more group picture before we said our goodbyes:

Nancy, Natalia, Carly, and me!

We got to see Natalia's family again at the conference the next day and then we headed home. It was tons of fun, and I hope to meet many more of New Moon's readers and writers in the future!

Thanks for an awesome Teen Read Week!

Thanks to everyone who sent reviews of great reads during Teen Read Week! I loved reading about what YOU had been reading, and I hope everyone keeps discovering (and telling us about!) great books even though the week is over.

As for my Teen Read Week, I didn't get through as many books as I'd hoped, unfortunately. (I admit it, I caved and did the dishes and took out the garbage.) The one book I did finish, Private by Kate Brian, I would definitely UNrecommend. The whole book is about a girl who keeps trying to win the approval of a group of popular girls who don't treat her well. She also keeps going back to a boyfriend who doesn't respect her. The reason she keeps doing these things is because she thinks it's important for her to get in "good" at her new boarding school so she doesn't have to go back to her stress-filled homelife. But the most irritating thing of all is that she has OTHER friends at the school who treat her well, but she keeps snubbing them in favor of the friends who don't respect her. Not cool at all. It's also one of those books that's part of a series, so even at the end of the book, you don't find out what's "really" going to happen. Grr.

I'm also almost finished reading White Midnight by Dia Calhoun. White Midnight is a fantasy novel about a slave girl who agrees to marry "the Thing" -- a monster in her master's attic -- in exchange for her family's freedom. The book has panned out differently than I'd expected so far, and I can't make a good review until I'm done (sometimes the last page of a novel can make me change my opinion about the whole thing!). But it's definitely an interesting read and the main character's motivations are much more believable and sympathetic than the main character's in Private.

Has anyone out there read these books or their sequels? Have a different opinion than mine? I'd love to hear your thoughts! Leave a comment or email blog @ newmoon.org.

Emma, 14, Reviews books 1 & 2 of the Alice McLeod Trilogy

Alice, I Think by Susan Juby

July 18
I’ve been giving it a lot of thought, and I’ve decided that maybe the helping professionals are right. Maybe I haven’t seen enough of life. Maybe I’m not growing enough, or in the right areas. I’m not one to take on a challenge, but it could be that my life could use some direction. But I don’t need goals for therapy. What I need is goals for my life. So that’s what I’m going to get…

Alice is not doing so hot, and she knows it. Never having been to a regular school or participated in a normal-kid-type activities, she is a social misfit. Her counselor at the Teens In Transition (Not In Trouble) Centre has just had a nervous breakdown, and her personal style leaves something to be desired. Matters are complicated when the new counselor decides Alice wants to go back to school. A serious makeover is in order, and preferably one that does not include helmet hair, tie-dyed muumuus, or contact with humans outside Alice’s immediate circle. This is gonna be good folks!

Susan Juby is the Canadian author of the Alice MacLeod trilogy, of which Alice, I Think is number one. The second and third books in the series are titled Miss Smithers and Alice MacLeod, Realist At Last. I recommend these books to kids (mostly girls) age 12-16.

Welcome to the life of Alice MacLeod, an unusual place for those not so pathetically maladjusted or cynically inclined. Here, a day-in-the-life is a cause for alarm, the first day of school is a life-changing experience, and a walk through the town a life-threatening one. From the Wonderbread-free zone that is the MacLeod household to the Wonderwagon that is their vehicle, from Irma’s Salon (Smithers) to MacGee’s Frolic (Prince George), from Corinne the Boss in her non-offgassing purple plastic jumpsuit, to Death Lord Bob in head-to-toe undertaker black, Alice’s world is a breeding ground for misunderstandings, bad taste and cannibalistic angelfish.

Miss Smithers by Susan Juby

January 10
I am a special girl. It was my mother's suggesting that I'm not that decided me. I mean, really, that's not the kind of thing that you want to let pass unchallenged.
I already suspected that this would be the year I would bloom, the year I would graduate from the ranks of the marginal into the realm of the practically normal (or even slightly above average), and today's events confirmed it...

Alice's life is just rolling along. She has entered the infamous Miss Smithers pageant, and spent the resulting $400 sponsorship money on her new, hopefully winning look. She has begun writing articles for her own 'zine, and is convinced she is a journalistic genius. She even has two real friends. But if she really wants to win the pageant, she's gonna need everyone's help, so she had better shut up, smile for the cameras, and community curl like she never has before...

Susan Juby is the Canadian author of the Alice MacLeod trilogy, of which Miss Smithers is number two. The first and third books in the series are titled Alice, I Think and Alice MacLeod, Realist At Last. I recommend these books to kids (mostly girls) age 12-16.

Miss Smithers is a hilarious look into the rather frightening mind of a teenage misfit. Alice is quirky, strong-willed, and unknowingly sweet... sometimes. Other times she's a bit unkind. But always, Alice's unique fashion sense, questionable grip on reality, and ever-changing morals, clashing spectacularly with the ditto, ditto, and ditto of the people around her, all come together in a hilarious novel that might just be too much for underachieving, unassuming, and totally underprepared Smithers, BC.

Zara, 11, Reviews The Two Princesses are Bamarre

The Two Princesses of Bamarre is by Gail Carson Levine, author of Ella Enchanted and many more. In high school, Gail Carson Levine didn't want to be a writer. As an adult her interest in painting led her to a class for writing and illustrating for children.

Next thing you know, her fist book for children, Ella Enchanted, won a Newbery Honor in 1998! Since then, Levine has been busy writing the Princess Tales series. She explored other genres with her historical fiction novel Dave At Night and the latest in popular fiction, The Wish. Her newest book is Fairy Dust and the Quest for the Egg.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre definitely fits into the fantasy genre. It has dragons, specters, swords, fairies and almost everything needed for a good fantasy novel. It is about two princess sisters, Addie and Meryl. Princess Addie is shy, meek, and fearful (even of spiders!). She is content to stay inside the safe castle walls. Princess Meryl is brave, fearless, courageous and unafraid. Meryl dreams of fighting dragons, protecting the kingdom of Bamarre and finding the cure to The Gray Death, the mysterious illness that killed their mother. The Gray Death eventually catches up with Meryl and Addie must put her fears aside to travel to Mount Ziriat for the cure: a drink of water from the fairies' waterfall. On her long and dangerous quest, Addie meets up with ogres, specters, an unusual dragon named Vollys and much more.

The Two Princesses of Bamarre is a wonderful book about a girl who must overcome her fears to save her sister. I highly recommend this adventurous, exciting story with a happy, sad, and unpredictable ending.

14-year-old Emma loves reviewing books!

One of my favorite things to do at New Moon is to open mail that we get from girls. From time to time, I get an email with several book reviews from Emma in British Columbia. I love reading her book reviews because she often writes about books I've read or thought about reading! Below are a few of her reviews in honor of Teen Read Week. :)

All-American Girl by Meg Cabot
Reviewed by Emma, Age 14

Gwen Stefani can get any boy she wants. Well, maybe not ANY boy, but she could probably get the boy I want. Who sadly is my sister's boyfriend. But whatever. And if Gwen chose to wear black every single day, people would just accept it as a sign of her great genius and no one would make ninja comments, like they do about me.

Samantha has problems; Her sister, Lucy, is perfect. Her sister's boyfriend, Jack, is even more perfect, but in a different way. Her German teacher hates her, and is giving her a C-minus. This of course has NOTHING to do with her secret business drawing and selling celebrity portraits in class. This business did not of course stay secret. Thanks, Lucy. As punishment, Samantha is being forced to take art lessons. Oh, and did I mention the Pineapple Incident...?

Meg Cabot is the American author of All-American Girl. Some of her other work includes The Princess Diaries series, Haunted, Nicola and the Viscount, and Victoria and the Rogue. She is also a ghostwriter, meaning she writes under other names. I recommend All-American Girl to kids (mostly girls) age 10-16.

All-American Girl is a story about a regular teenage outcast, labeled something different by everyone, and never really understood. Samantha's world is well-orchestrated and amusing, with many interesting characters. The plot is outrageous, and the tone hilarious, as we see into Samantha's world through her own eyes. From capitalized nouns to Capitol Cookies, from Wite-Out daisies to the White House, Samantha's life is about to take some crazy turns!

* * * *

Sun Signs by Shelley Hrdlitschka.
Reviewed by Emma, Age 14

From: cosmicgirl
To: distantstudybuddies
Subject: calling all science 10 victims

Who else thinks science projects should be outlawed?? Have any of you started It yet? My horoscope this week is right on, as usual. It says I can't continue to ignore the project that's been left undone. Can you believe it? It's like it's directed exclusively at me. Do all geminis have science projects they haven't started yet? I don't think so.

Cancer-stricken Kaileigh Wyse (aka cosmicgirl) explores the future as well as the cyberworld around her when she starts a term project on astrology. Kaileigh is part of distantstudybuddies, for kids unable or unwilling to attend regular school. She soon meets starlight, blondie, and 2good, who become her Leo subjects, her guinea pigs. They report to her on the accuracy of their daily horoscopes, and she begins to learn who they are, or at least, who they say they are...

Shelley Hrdlitschka (that's her-dah-LITCH-kah) writes from her home in North Vancouver, BC, where she lives with her husband and three daughters. Shelley is the author of Dancing Naked, as well as several other books for teens. She is also a Cancer.

Sun Signs is different in that it is written all in the form of e-mails between Kaileigh, her teacher, an astrologer, and the Leo subjects. It is also on two levels. One, the e-chattering and mystery of the studybuddies, focused around her project; And two, the moving e-mails and weekly diary entries of a sick teen, as Kaileigh pours out her soul to the non-replying astrologer, and her own "Immortal Gemini Twin." I recommend this book to kids age 10-16.

* * * *

What do you think? Have you read either of these books? Have the reviews made you interested? I'm personally interested in picking up a copy of Sun Signs! Leave a comment or send your own book reviews to blog@newmoon.org.

Category: books, events
Posted by: Lacey

Olivia, 15, reviews the Pendragon Adventure Series by D.J. MacHale

One of my favorite book series is The Pendragon Adventure series byD.J. MacHale. The books are about an average teenager named BobbyPendragon—at least, he thinks he's an average teenager. One day he findsout that he's really a Traveler, and that he must embark on a journey through space and time to help save the universe! The books are fast-paced, funny, original, and well-written. I also really like thatalthough the main character is a boy, there are plenty of important female characters, and they're almost all portrayed very positively. In many male-centric books, women are stupid, weak, or just plain evil. In the Pendragon books, the women are smart, resourceful, strong, and just as important to the story as the men. The first book is called The Merchant Of Death—go pick it up, I promise you won't be able to put it down.

Our First Review of Teen Read Week!

Witch of the North
by Courtway Jones
Reviewed by Morgaine, 13, from Oregon

One of my favorite books is Witch of the North by Courtway Jones. This is an adaptation of Le Morte d'Arthur--the story of King Arthur. The main character is Morgan Le Fay, Arthur’s half sister. I have read many books about Morgan Le Fay and this book does not exploit her in the same way that most books do. Most people who write about Morgan portray her as an evil seductress out to get Arthur, but this is not so in Witch of the North. Jones portrays Morgan very well, making her a highly intellectual and interesting character.

The way Jones describes Morgan’s anger was absolutely amazing, and I would recommend the book just for that. Still, I would not recommend this for anyone under 12. When reading this book, I would start with the introduction (which is very funny). Jones explains that this is not like Le Morte d'Arthur--Jones changes some things so that it turns out differently.

This book is copyrighted 1992, so you might have to look for it. You might also notice that this is the second book in a trilogy. I have not read the first or third in the trilogy, and Witch of the North still made sense. Overall, I strongly suggest you read this book for its amazing detail, strong characters and wonderful perspective.

Girls, have YOU read a good--or bad--book lately? Send your review to blog@newmoon.org! We'll post a review every day during Teen Read Week!

Greetings from the Girls Advisory Board!

Hi girls!

Today we are at the office for our Girls Advisory Board meeting! We wanted to take a time out to say hello, and tell you a few things that are on our minds!

First of all, we'd like to congratulate the UMD Bulldogs on winning their hockey game last night! "I was at the game and it was a lot of fun. In the last half, the Bulldogs scored four goals and the final score was 7-3. It was a ton of fun! From Hannah, 11.

Hi Everyone, this is Shelby,12! I'd like to share my thoughts with you about women's rights.
Women are not dolls. People think they are, but they have minds. I think they should be able to go to school and vote. You should take time to help women and girls in your own communities, because it is very important. I think we should help build a safe place for every girl and woman in the world. What do you think about it?

Superchic[k] "Beauty from Pain" from Karla, 13.

Known for their upbeat sound, and positive lyrics their third CD comes as yet another hit. This CD is the most diverse sounding yet to date, with in depth lyrics that face issues that all teens can relate to. It is also the most relatable disc Superchic[k] has ever conjured. It's contents will surely not disappoint you.

Be sure to send us your blog posts to blog@newmoon.org! We'd love to hear from you!

Gear up for Teen Read Week!!!

Do you know what next week is? (Hint: check out the subject line!) The American Library Association (ALA) designates October as Teen Read Month, but the week of October 15 - 21st is Teen Read Week. And I am TOTALLY psyched.

Why am I so psyched? Well, last year I decided to mark teen read week on my calendar and then celebrate it. It's the one week a year when I put other things aside (you know, like doing the dishes, answering emails, taking out the trash, reading "grown up books") and put all that extra time and energy into reading Young Adult Novels. I LOVE young adult novels and read part of a young adult novel for about 15 minutes every night before bed. At that rate, it takes me weeks to get through one novel. So I love giving myself the luxury of reading YA novels for several hours a day for a whole week.

This year, I'm kicking off teen read week with Private by Kate Brian, which is about a girl who wants to go to boarding school to get away from home, where things have been stressful since her Mom survived a traumatic accident. My thoughts so far? It feels like one of those "movie books" -- you know, a book that really would rather be a movie, where the author pays WAY too much attention to what the characters are wearing (wardrobe) and what gadgets they have (props). I personally prefer books that feel like books, but hey, maybe that's just me. I'll give a full review by the end of the week when I've finished the book.

In the meantime, I'm inviting all of YOU to celebrate Teen Read Week with me -- whether you're a teen, a pre-teen, or finished being a teen (like me!) I've already got some book reviews from girls, and I'll be posting teen book reviews all week long, so send your recommendations (or "unrecommendations) to blog@newmoon.org. Now, head to the library or the bookshelf, make yourself a pile of books, and step on the garbage to crush it way to the bottom of the bag so you don't have to worry about it until AFTER you're done celebrating.

Happy Reading!!

55802--The Move.

Tuesday, October 3rd New Moon Publishing celebrated our first year in our new office. We had a party. A MOVING party that is…literally we moved. We didn’t switch buildings, like we did last year, but three New Moonies changed offices. We did this in an effort to create more girl-friendly space for the Girls Editorial Board and Girls Advisory Board that hold meetings here.

We thought that you would like to see how hard we worked celebrating our move, with a move. Plus, we wanted you to meet the rest of the staff! (Since you know me and Jen already!)

The first things that had to be moved were several large file cabinets. What better person to do this than Sandy, our Chief Operating Officer. She helped move the office from Nancy and Joe’s house, to our office on Superior Street and from Superior Street to our current location. We consider her an expert in all things moving.

Since Sandy was busy moving file cabinets all day, she didn’t have much time for supervising the rest of us. So she left my dog Flash in charge. The New Moon office is a dog friendly place and I happened to have him with me on move day. He’s a great dog and a great supervisor, too!

Becky, our bookkeeper, is a New Moonie that relocated her office. She is also the newest member of the New Moon staff. We are glad that she joined this happy bunch of women.

Catherine helping Becky move to her new office.

To create a more open space for the girls, we had to move a lot of cubicle walls around. Here’s Kate, Executive Editor, moving one of the walls.

As you might have guessed, we are NOT an all work and no play kind of office! While everyone else was working, I caught Jen and Crystal, our Online Store Manager, playing catch with the rubber band ball. Looks like they had lots of fun!

Kate moved her office, too. She used to have the office with lots of windows, but gave it to Ann, so she could be closer to her fellow editors Lacey and Catherine.

Lacey

Catherine

Ann is a little camera shy.

“You have to make a mess to get organized,” I always say…and here’s the proof!

Everything came together and our office is a lot more girl-friendly. We ended our moving celebration with two large pizzas! Yummy!

We Are Family

Today is National Coming Out Day, a day when Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender (GLBT) people everywhere stand up to be counted, so to speak. It's also an opportunity to encourage people to live open and honest lives.

It's an important day for many girls who have GLBT parents. Quite a few girls who took New Moon's online political survey said gay rights is the political issue that most affects their lives:

“My parents are lesbian and they have been married for 22 years. However, to get registered, they had to go to Ontario because Colorado is against gay marriages.” -Girl, age 13-14

“My mom can't marry her life partner because of the laws that say gay people can't marry.” -Girl, age 11-12

“I live in Wisconsin, where a law is being voted on in November than would ban gay marriage. It would also ban a lot of LGBT rights. The law would be really hard on many gay and lesbian friends of my family, including some couples with children. It would mean that one member of a couple might not be able to visit the other in the hospital, inherit their property, or have decision-making power over their children--just because they can't legally be married!” -Girl, age 15-17

“My parents are Lesbian and when the government passed the law against same-sex marriage, it made me feel insecure!” -Girl, age 13-14

Sadly, according to the Human Rights Campaign, kids as young as 5 or 6 use "gay" as an insult:

“By sixth, seventh and eighth grades, the words become all-purpose put-downs. While some children may barely even think about what these words mean when they use them, the children of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender parents cannot help but think about them, as they are implicitly directed at the closest people in their lives.”

That's one reason it's so important to New Moonies to make sure our magazine is a safe place for ALL girls, no matter what type of family they live in. We celebrated families of all kinds in our "We Are Family" issue (March/April 2005). Check it out! And please join us in commemorating National Coming Out Day today, and every October 11th.

School Violence

You may have heard about some of the recent school shootings that have happened across the United States. School shootings are one of the most drastic examples of violence at school, but, unfortunately, almost every person has experienced school violence. It’s called bullying. Just because the national news doesn’t report on bullying, doesn’t mean that it’s not harmful or traumatic for the people involved.

What are some things you can do to help prevent school violence? Here are some helpful tips from http://loveourchildrenusa.org/bullying.php

Teachers and parents have a special responsibility for looking after kids – especially helping you if you’re being bullied at school. It’s not so easy to identify a bully. Is the bully really being hostile and aggressive toward you or are they just having what they call ‘fun?’

When someone is bullied at school, your friends and acquaintances usually know what is going on. Even though they’re not involved they know it’s happening. Adults can’t always tell and need your help in order to help you or your friends.

All members of a school community — whether they’re kids or teachers, have a responsibility to help kids who are being bullied. You and your friends must speak out against the bullies.

• Nobody has the right to hurt anyone else by hitting them, calling then names
  or doing anything which is hurtful.
• Bullying is wrong – no matter how old you are.
• If an adult is bullying you or trying to make you do something you think is
  wrong, it is imperative that you tell someone immediately.

New Moon is a place for girls to feel safe and free to talk about what is on their minds. Bullying and school violence are scary, but they become less scary when we talk about them. We invite you to share your thoughts or fears about school violence, whether it is someone bringing a gun to school or someone stealing your lunch money. School should be a safe place for every student, but schools won’t become safer unless we all start talking about it! Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment or emailing blog@newmoon.org

Underweight Models

Earlier this month organizers of a top annual fashion show banned 5 models from the show because they were underweight. The models were examined by medical doctors and based on the standards of the World Health Organization were not allowed to walk the cat walk. Organizers wanted the show to “project an image of beauty, elegance and health, so we also banned makeup that makes models appear sickly.Clearly we don't want walking skeletons.”

The news of the banning created a lot of buzz.

Our friend Audrey Brashich received an inspirational post on her blog. http://audreybrashich.blogs.com/audrey_brashich/2006/09/more_on_skinny_.html

Magali Amadei and Claire Mysko http://www.insidebeauty.org shared their opinion about too thin models on the CBS website. http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2006/09/25/couricandco/entry2037956.shtml

An article in the September 25th edition of USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-09-25-thin-models_x.htm explored the effects underweight models have on girls’ and young women’s body images. According to the studies sited in the article, being surrounded by an image of beauty that most girls and women can’t attain, has negative consequences.

The list of blog posts and articles about this subject goes on and on.

All of the buzz is great! Unfortunately, most of the talk is from adults. We want to know what girls think about this issue! Girls, how do you feel about the ban that was put on the models in Madrid? Do ultra skinny models have a negative effect on your body image? Whose responsibility is it to determine the body type of fashion models? The fashion industry? The consumers? An outside organization? Do you think the ban is discrimination?

Send your comments to blog@newmoon.org.

New Moon "Breaks the Silence."

In New Moon's September/October 2006 issue of the magazine, we ran an article called "Break the Silence" by Carrie Rethlefsen. Carrie wrote about seeing the play The Vagina Monologues and how it inspired her to wear a pin that said, "I [Heart] My Vagina." This has ended up being a pretty controversial article. Two GEB members have responded to our readers about "Break the Silence."

"New Moon recently published an article called "Break the Silence." It was about a girl who had been molested who went to see "The Vagina Monologues", which is a play about women talking about their experiences. After seeing the play, the girl wore a pin that said "I [Heart] My Vagina." The school threatened to suspend her if she didn't take off the pin. So when she came back to school she wore a shirt that said the same as the pin to prove that she had a right to say what she wanted. The GEB (Girls Editorial Board) talked about this for a while and we came to the same conclusion each time: that it was OK to have this article in the magazine because it was OK to talk about, and that by talking about these things, girls can create a support system for each other.

We have recently been getting letters from subscribers, mostly adults, saying that it was inappropriate to put this article in this magazine. Some people have even unsubscribed from the magazine because of this article. Our response is: This article is a way to show what one girl did to create a kind of support system. Girls can handle this stuff--the GEB are girls 8-14 years old! If we can handle it, and we want to read about it, it's most likely that other girls out there can handle it, too. This article is about girls and women helping each other out, and not exploiting anyone.

We are sorry if we offended anyone with this article, but this is something that we think girls should know about, and are capable knowing about.

Thank You for Reading this,
GEB Member, Sage, 11"

"TO: New Moon Readers One and All
We have received some letters concerning the article 'Break the Silence.' We have mixed reviews from parents who don’t like their children reading articles containing the word 'vagina,' or talking about the word 'vagina.' We have also received letters from readers who appreciated the article and what it was about. I would like to clarify that this article was about someone trying to get the word out about molestation and sexual abuse, she was not just trying to get attention or to see what would happen if she wore a pin that said, 'I love my vagina' on it.

I am sorry to all the readers and parents out there who didn’t like the article but it was there for a reason. We liked the idea, the article and what it was about. I am not telling you to cancel your subscription or send us hate letters I would just like to know what offended you or made you angry about the article.

GEB Member, Libby, 12"

What do you think? Have you read "Break the Silence"? Do you think it was OK for New Moon to print this article? Please share your thoughts by leaving a comment!