What an <em>amazing</em> and <em>important</em> commentary on the way that young girls are treated in, unfortunately, a painful number of schools in the United States today. Kim Harrington's <em>Revenge of the Red Club</em> is one of those books that I honestly wish every young girl would read. The fact of the matter is that some schools still shame young girls for their bodies, still shame them for something as natural as menstruation, still censor and deny their education in essential areas of life. And why? Well, it's the complaining parents, of course, who are happy to have their children live in ignorance to life's truths and ultimately damaging them horribly in the long run.

I was fortunate enough as a child to have parents who didn't censor my education, who were actually active in ensuring that I knew about my body and provided me with the support needed in understanding facets of the world that I was growing up in. Depressingly, there are many places where this is not the case. One just has to think of the abstinence-only education that happens in the southern states to recognize where the problems are. Regardless, <em>Revenge of the Red Club</em> focuses primarily on the censorship of education and support surrounding periods and body shaming.

In a world where both the school and, unfortunately, some of the parents do their best to keep the education of their students' censored from perfectly normal things like menstruation, a group of girls set up a club for anyone who has started their period so that they can support each other. This comes in the form of weekly meetings and newly built friendships. But when someone's mom complains and gets the club banned, the girls have to do everything in their power to fight back against the injustice. And not only that, but there's the ridiculous dress code and shaming of women to address as well.

And so the girls band together to protest, making plans for different kinds of pranks to pull throughout the week as they move forward.

I think this book is an excellent commentary on some of the problems with the education system and society in general. There are a lot of frustrating things that happen just as a result of the closed-mindedness of an unfortunate number of people that need to be changed. And while this book isn't going to change everything, it at least offers an opportunity for young girls to learn more about their world and what's right vs. wrong. I'm honestly surprised by how little it's been read up until now.

If you have a daughter around twelve, honestly, you should do her a huge favor and get her this book.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This review will be live on the Reader Fox blog on June 1, 2020.

This book felt important, and real, and true. Riley is a strong, tough girl with heart and courage. I think this is a must-read for library media specialists and educators.

Girl powers activate! With a secret stash of monthly female supplies, a lot of humor, and even more heart. Riley Dunn loves being a member of the Red Club because it is a tradition. So when the Red Club is shut down will they be able to get it back or will it be an all out war?

This book was one middle grade has needed for a long time. It takes all the shame and stigma that young girls feel about menstruation and repackages it as normal and completely shame-free. It also points a finger at the unfair policies that so frequently target our girls, making them feel self-conscious, uncomfortable, and even overtly sexualized from young ages. I love that this book brought together strong female characters and let them fight for change. Every young girl should have a Red Club. But in the absence of that, they should at the very least read this book.

TJ Burns — August 11, 2019

The girls-supporting-each-other concept in Revenge of the Red Club is especially refreshing, in light of the oh, so many “nasty girl,” “popular, but mean girl,” “chick clique,” “cat-fighting” scenarios that we see so often on tv-shows, in movies, and in books these days. Even more powerful are the girls-finding-their-voices, and girls-standing-up-against-discrimination-and-injustice, and girls-combating-body-shaming themes in this book.

The Red Club itself is an interesting concept. While I wouldn't have joined a Red Club as a teen or tween, I certainly would have supported (and still do support) the idea of a Red Club for those who needed and/or wanted a girls' support group. I was actively involved in breaking gender barriers as a child, teen, and young adult. I had to fight for the right to be an "alter-boy" in the Catholic church as a child. I suffered for a half a season as "bat girl" on my little league baseball team before I was even given my chance to play in a game (All the boys, even those younger and less skilled than me got to play in every game). After I finally got put in my first game, I earned my right to play, and soon thereafter I earned a starting position. After years of fighting to get into boy scouts, I was one of the first members of a co-ed teen Boy Scout Explorer troop, in which I took on a leadership position early on. In college, while we had a women's rights organization, I preferred making my stand as a member of the student government and was elected president my senior year.

I certainly had a lot of fighting to do... simply because of my gender. I remember saying as a child that, as a girl, I had to constantly break down the doors, while my brother had them held open for him. But I was one of the lucky ones. Both my parents supported my aspirations 100%. I know, however, that this is not always, or even often the case, which is why the concept of a Red Club sounds so intriguing to me now, as the mother of a tween daughter. (My daughter hasn't read this book yet, but I will update my review when she does).

I read this book in constant state of aggravation and frustration, mostly frustrated that this kind of discrimination, body shaming, and suppression of rights could possibly still exist in the USA. I've traveled the world and I know we have a long way to go to achieve gender equality worldwide, but I was shocked to see these kinds of issues being dealt with by a contemporary American writer. Censorship of newspaper articles, and the shutting down of the school newspaper? The banning of leggings? The closing of a girls' support group? Is this a contemporary middle grade or a dystopian novel? But whether these problems are widely spread (I hope not!) or isolated incidents (I rather hope so), it's important to remember where we came from, how we got to where we are now, and what goals we still need to push forward and strive toward. The process has never been easy. Finding our voices, taking a stand, forming a support group, organizing a movement, writing and publishing about the issues and possible solutions, utilizing civil disobedience -- all of these measures were necessary for Riley and her friends, and all these measures may be necessary for all of us -- to bring us closer to true equality and social justice.