Join the club!

Adele Griffin, author of Hannah, Divided (and other great books!) will chat online with members of New Moon's Book Club on Monday. I can't wait! I'm going to re-read Hannah this weekend so it's fresh in my mind.

Members of the club, don't forget to come to the chat room at 7 pm Central (8 pm Eastern and 5 pm Pacific)! If you're not a member, you can still send me your questions for Adele.

"Talk" to you soon!

55802--The Basement. Part Three

Congratulations! You have made it to part three of the New Moon Publishing office tour. You’ve missed parts one and two? Shame on you! No worries. You still have a chance to read them.

Part One
Part Two

Melanie will be leading the tour without Jen today. Jen is currently detained in an undisclosed location, to be revealed later. We have seen all there is to see upstairs, so let’s go into the depths of the basement! The basement is where we keep all of our back issues and wonderful, girl-friendly merchandise, available at www.newmoonstore.com. Of course, we have all of the normal, boring stuff too, like extra toilet paper, paper towels and hand soap, envelopes, old computer parts, and our new wonderfully fabulous server.

The first thing you will notice about New Moon Publishing’s basement is that it is surrounded by a tall chain-link fence. We share the basement with two other companies and it helps to keep all of our stuff separate. But, sometimes when a New Moonie gets in trouble we lock her in the “cage.” The other two companies thought it was a weird business practice, but now they see the benefit and lock their employees in there, too.



Ah, and this is where we find my detained sidekick Jen. What exactly did Jen do, you ask? Well, she left her dirty dishes in the sink!


We even put up a sign to remind her to wash them, but it didn’t work.
The "cage" was the last option. She has served her time. I think it’s safe to unlock the door. Now, Jen and I can continue the tour together!


What occupies the most space in the basement? New Moon back issues! We have several boxes of each issue from the past fourteen years! For those of you that are new to New Moon here is the cover of our very first issue from 1993.



Wait! Where did Jen go? I think I have lost her! Never mind. She is hiding behind our stacks and stacks of New Moon back issues! She's so silly. We have to be careful when trying to find a back issue because there are so many boxes. That’s why we have started the movement “Save a New Moonie.”

It looks like I’m the one that needs the help today! Help save a New Moonie by purchasing lots, and lots of back issues!



Don’t get caught in the basement alone after 5 pm. We have our very own security system to protect the merchandise. Her name is Moonie Monster and she only has three fingers. She is very shy and doesn’t like her picture taken.We had to sneak up on her to get this rare photo. She bears a striking resemblance to Jen doesn’t she?


I think we have disturbed Moonie Monster enough for the day, so we had better end the tour. Thanks for joining us. We enjoyed having you! Look for other tidbits from 55802 on the New Moon Blog!

What's it like to walk a mile in YOUR shoes?

If you're a girl between the ages of 11-14 living in the Boston area, the Judge Baker Children's Center wants to hear from you!

You're invited to enter the Camille Cosby "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" essay contest. This is YOUR chance to tell the world about you, your life and what it's like to be a girl today. For essay guidelines and entry form, contact Olivenne Skinner at 617-278-4265 or email ccgp@jbcc.harvard.edu. The deadline for submission is Friday, December 1, 2006.

Not a Boston girl? Write an essay anyway and submit it to our blog!

Acadia's Thoughts :-)

Acadia, 14, from Duluth, MN sent us this wonderful poem on her thoughts about fashion. Thanks, Acadia!

Reasons Why Shopping Makes Me Want to Throw a Tantrum

Jeans too tight
Never fit right
Mini-skirts look cold
But that’s not what I’m told
Apparently they’re hot
Especially when bought
At the “right” store
Where you always pay more!

And by the way,
The other day
I learned air costs a lot
Because that’s all that I got
In the jeans all ripped
From Abercrombie and Fitch
So I sold them on eBay
Then fed a small country for three days

Now spaghetti on a plate
Would be nice on a date
But spaghetti strap tops?
Eww…I think not
Reminds me of buying a bikini at the mall
It got lost in the bag, ‘cause it was too small
Teensy tight things I cannot wear
When I can’t breathe, I get quite a scare

Why do boys get all the comfy clothes?
You never see them in heels or pantyhose
I guess girls must have more grace
Even in stilettos they don’t fall on their face
Which is good in those dangerous shoes
Because they could stab, slice, or bruise
Speaking of death, if I see another midriff
I might just jump off a cliff

You can see my frustration
With this fashion nation
Maybe I’m just lacking know-how
To wear all the “in” things now
I guess I just don’t get
Why clothes aren’t supposed to fit
Unless you are stick thin
Like that Lindsey Lohan
It’s a sad, ridiculous mess
When smaller clothes don’t cost less
I’m missing out on the fashion logic

So from now on, I think Ill just dodge it.

On Growing Up: Ryann's Perspecitve

An 11-year-old girl named Ryann published a thoughtful essay on the life of a tween over at Empowerment4Women. Check it out!

Ryann contrasts her experiences with her mom's, and though there ARE girls playing football these days (see yesterday's post), I think she's right that today's kids are surrounded by media--TV, internet, iPods, etc.--and more "under the influence" of stars and advertisers. What's the solution? I think kids need to learn about how the media works and how marketers try to influence you, so you can make conscious choices about who you're going to be and why.

What do you think, girls? Does Ryann's essay sound like real life to you? Or do you have a different experience/perspective?

Gridiron girl

Speaking of sports, check out this interesting story about a sixth grade girl in Oregon who's playing her third year of football. I have a friend who played football in middle school--her coaches, family, etc. convinced her to quit when she reached high school, partly because the boys kept getting bigger and she had quit growing. I think she later regretted dropping the sport.

I really enjoyed flag football the few times I played, but the regular game is a little too violent for my taste. Do any of you play football, on a team or just for fun?

Feeling Pretty?

On Saturday, I accidentally watched Maria Sharapova win the U.S. Open. I say accidentally because I just happened to switch on the TV about half-way through her match with Justine Henin-Hardenne. I tuned in at the end of the first set, which Maria won, so I started rooting for Justine because I wanted the match to last longer! Maria, who is only 19, ended up winning 6-4, 6-4.

It's been a while since I watched tennis on TV, but I was a big fan when I was in high school. One year, my sister got me a tennis racquet for my birthday. My school didn't offer tennis as a sport, and I had no idea how I was supposed to hit the ball, but it was still fun. I remember reading Ladies of the Court--a behind-the-scenes look at women's tennis with lots of gossip about the top players of the time. Steffi Graf was my favorite. I eventually learned the basics of the game as a freshman in college, when I took two tennis classes.

Yesterday, I dusted off my old tennis rackets and played for the first time in a couple of years. I had a blast, even though my friend beat me 6-1, 7-5 and I couldn't have hit a backhand shot to save my life. Later that day at the GEB meeting, Selene mentioned that she was having trouble concentrating because the U.S. Open men's final was going on--and she was missing it! I didn't get a chance to quiz Selene about her interest in tennis, but it's nice to know I'm not the only New Moonie who's a tennis fan.

Women tennis players get a lot of attention based on how they dress and how they look--definitely more than men do. Some players, like Maria, Anna Kournikova, and Venus and Serena Williams, seem to revel in the attention (and the endorsement money) and become fashion plates, while others stay out of the spotlight, no matter how well they do on the tour.

Are you a tennis fan or player? What do you think about Maria's "I Feel Pretty" commercials? How about all the attention paid to women athletes' appearance in general? Post a comment!

Why are there so many songs about rainbows?

This Luna drawing just came in to New Moon and I wanted to share it with all our blog readers. The artist, 16-year-old Leslie, says, "I think Luna doesn't have a face, but she is made of energy. She is the spirit, sitting on the moon."

What I love about this drawing are the many bright colors, especially the rainbow sleeves. If you'd ever met me in person, you'd know that I LOVE rainbows. I have a Rainbow Brite purse, rainbow bandanas, rainbow barretts, rainbow candles, rainbow nightlights--and sometimes I paint my fingernails rainbow colored. When I was little, I loved the Noah's Ark story because the rainbow is a sign of hope. As I got older, I realized that rainbows were also a symbol of diversity of all kinds and also support for the GLBT community. And I think that hope, diversity, and support make a really nice rainbow of ideas themselves--that diversity gives us hope for the future and that we need to support that diversity so that our world doesn't miss out on what anyone has to offer.

So I wear rainbows proudly and feel happy when I see them in the sky or on bumper stickers. Is there a symbol that's especially important in your life?

55802--The Office. Part Two

Welcome to part two of New Moon Publishing's virtual office tour! If you missed part one, get caught up!


Upon entering our kitchen you will probably see someone standing with the fridge door open wondering what she is going to have for lunch.
Looks like she has a lot of options…

New Moonies like to share. We have a table with a purple tablecloth where FREE items are located. Today, the only things we see are peppers from Ann’s garden.They do look really nice.


HOWEVER, there are four candy dishes located through out the office that New Moonies grab from through out the day.

We love chocolate!!!
Oooo! And we were lucky enough to have a plate of cookies mysteriously appear in the conference room. These are for the taking, too.



Using the facilities (AKA the bathroom) at New Moon Publishing could be quite an adventure if you are not careful. Make sure to get "the code" from a New Moonie to get out. Some New Moonies have gone in, but have never come back...If you see a New Moonie in there that looks lost, tell them we miss them! (And giving them the code would be nice, too.)





New Moonies also like birthdays. We have an office birthday tradition! A birthday loot of a wand, crown and giant NSYNC pencil are passed from person to person. A New Moonie receives the loot on her birthday and gets to keep it until the next birthday. Currently, the birthday loot holder is our very own Melanie. She gets to retain her loot until Crystal’s birthday in September. She has had her loot since the end of July. THAT’S A LONG TIME! With the birthday loot she can ask any New Moonie to do anything she wants as long as no New Moonie will be harmed in any way, physically or otherwise, AND they have to do it. Now, that's birthday power!

Let’s head to the editorial offices. There we will find the Luna bin. All of the letters and artwork that girls send to New Moon go straight to the Luna bin for safe keeping until Luna can read them. The bin is looking a little empty girls! Send those submissions in!

Hidden in the very bottom drawer of a file cabinet is the stash of New Moon covers. If you ever come to visit the office in person, you can take some covers home with you! Covers make great posters!

Over in the Circulation area is the infamous rubber band ball. It was started by former New Moonie Karin between the spring of 2002 and 2003. We were able to catch up with Karin to get the full history of the rubber band ball.

It started because I was sorting the mail and had a desk drawer full of rubberbands from the bound letters. So, one afternoon, when I was cleaning the desk, I started going through the drawer and winding up the rubberbands. I remember that the very center band is red... or maybe blue... but,I think it's red. It took a week or so but, eventually the drawer was cleared out and the ball remained in its place. I'm glad to know it lives on...

Yes, Karin, it still lives on and it's still growing. We add to the ball everyday and it now weighs in at 4.2 pounds. That's right! 4.2 pounds. The rubber band ball is truly the highlight of the New Moon Publishing office.

Next time…55802—The Basement.

Heart-warming Charity by Avery

Getting New Moon reader, 14-year-old Avery's, letter this morning made my day. She writes about her devotion to two different charities, both which warm both the heart and the body. I've included her story below. - Lacey, New Moon Editor

"Reading the New Moon News, I found the "Get into Giving" article and enjoyed it. For my writing class in school this year, we are encouraged to support a charity of some kind. I researched up a few very wonderful charities that I am currently working on contributing to.

The first is for a foundation called Warm Up America. WUA collects donated crocheted/knitted afghans and afghan patches that can be sewn together and distributed to places such as homeless shelters, red cross facilities, women's shelters and daycares. They also encourage you to get all your friends involved in making the large afghans and distributing them yourself in your own community. It is such an amazing thing to feel that you are helping to make someone warm!

Along those lines is the other cause I found. A collaboration between WUA and another foundation called Save the Children, this cause is called Caps to the Capital. WUA and Save the Children are joining forces to ask people to knit/crochet baby hats for children in developing countries, millions of whom die each year from lack of hats and blankets. These hats are made according to an easy pattern that can be found at www.warmupamerica.org or www.savethechildren.org. All hats must be sent to an address that can be found on the above sites by January, so it is important that the word gets out!! The hats are rewarding and simple to make and look so adorable when they are finished that you want to make a million more!

Hopefully all the knitters/crocheters at New Moon can help spread the word and support these amazing foundations--the warmth they spread truly makes a difference!"