Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

i don't know if kids really talk like this tbh....but i loved it all the same..
I really could have used a book like this in the olden days of my youth.

A must purchase for all middle school libraries. This is an excellent story about how periods happen to everyone

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy! I really enjoyed this voice and character driven middle grade about friendship, the trials of middle school and a super important issue: period equity.

This hilarious contemporary uses humor to talk about the important topic of period equity. It’s about a pair of prankster best friends who decide to use their troublemaking skills for good instead of evil when they find a cause they truly care about. Some of their methods are a bit misguided at first, and it takes them a while to figure out how they can actually make a difference, but for once their hearts are in the right place. The book has a powerful and straightforward message about period equity, laying out the facts for readers as the kids fight to get period products in bathrooms, but it’s not boring or overly preachy because it’s so funny! I recommend this for books who are interested in activism, but also for any kid who likes a good laugh.

What a great story to highlight important things happening in the lives of middle school students today. Helen and Gracie are 8th graders who are also master prankers. But when their latest prank goes awry, they end up navigating what's next: in school, with friends, and with each other. Ali Terese writes all of these issues with such compassion and is great at highlighting the individual personalities of the main characters. Showing how there are many ways to achieve a solution brings together the entire story. Great book for all middle grade readers!

I remember being late to the party with this one, but I remember adding this to my TBR as soon as I found out the title.This is a feminist story for the ages and I am absolutely thrilled that it is a middle grade book. I remember being in the 6th grade when i first got mine and I was using the absolute wrong thing, but I didn’t know what to do and I felt so awkward asking my mom. I wish I had people who fought for this time of equity in my school bathrooms.

Ok so don’t get me wrong, the main characters were terrible. Like I’m being so for realz these kids were bad as hell. I remember reading it the whole way through and laughing out loud because these giels learned NOTHING even with them “finally understanding the trouble they were in.” They didn’t understand anything because they didn’t learn anything. They acted the same way throughout the whole book. And that made them terrible in my eyes. There was no growth. Granted they’re middle school girls, but at the same time, they should know when they’ve gone too far? They either were acting very young and didn’t know right from wrong or they just didn’t care.

The plot of this is what had me glued to this novel. I loved seeing all the different types of ideas they had to see their plan come to fruition. Like the crochet uterus? Genius. And the toilet paper thing? Yo, I’m 35 years old and I never would have thought about that. And the day that they took it on? lmao I wondered while reading this if Ali did something like this back in her day. Because how in the world do you think of something like that? I couldn’t stop laughing. But to see the impact it had and the ideas they had and the ending, it all came together and I felt like the proud aunt.

I also really liked Ali’s writing style. Since this is a MG she wasn’t really handing out real lessons, even when she was trying to get the girls to find something that they really care about. She waited until the end. I loved this because sometimes when you get preachy you can lose kids. But with this book the preaching is at the end when they’re already invested lol With that in mind, I thought it was more likely to stick.

I hope people read this or meet Ali and take notes on how these girls did what they did. I really want to see if we can make this happen in different places around the world. So with that being said, I made sure I sent this book to the branches in my library system that were making what they call “Care Corners.” In those care corners we’ve put menstrual products and diapers, anything that can help someone in need if they’re caught without something. So this way, we can show that there are people in real life that care just as much as Helen and Gracie.

Free Period is about two girls who love to get in trouble. They plan their final prank of middle school when it backfires, forcing them to join the Community Action Club which leads to the girls going all in on a Period Equity project.
The book is quirky and fun, but I found it hard to differentiate Helen and Gracie throughout the story. I also found it somewhat unbelievable that so many middle school boys would openly support and not turn red at the talk of periods. I did really love the lesson of figuring out who you are and what you stand for outside of your best friend as well as sticking up for what you believe in.

Helen and Gracie are best friends - vastly different from one another, the middle-grade practical joker queens, and both quirky and corny. When their end of year practical joke, one that Helen wants to aim at enemy, rich, do-gooder Madison, goes awry, the principal punishes them to do some good by joining the Community Action Club - helmed by no other than Madison. At first, they just want to get in and get out to enjoy their summer together as friends, but the clubs push for period equity, getting menstrual pads into every bathroom, they get on board but not in a positive way a first. Gracie's baking skills go wrong and Helen's prank ideas don't sit well with the board, other students, or the principal. Together, and with the club, they grow out of their co-dependency with one another and fight in proper ways to take on the school board, parents, and the principal. Their antics and corny jokes get repetitive and can blend the vastly different characters - Helen being super smart and math whiz with Gracie who is all baking, glitter, and costumes. These issues fell flat for me, but the growth they show and highlighting the issues with period equity are to be commended. I gave it a four for the growth and social commentary.

Two 8th grade girls who seem to always get in trouble end up leading an effort to get period products stocked in the middle school bathrooms. The plot of the book was good and some of the over-the-top antics were funny but I never embraced the characters. I'm curious to see what middle school readers think of them. Also, unless I missed it, there was no (or very little?) mention of race in this book so my assumption is that the characters and the school as a whole were very white.

I loved every moment of this book. It is smart and funny and taps into the very real issue of period equity. I liked how the twoC had their own quirky personalities but went through this chaotic journey of really finding those own voice. I especially loved that the characters were 8th grades. This age groups is definitely overlooked in MG books. Bravo!

At the end of the uncorrected proof of Free Period by Ali Terese (the physical end of the book, not the story itself), the author notes, “I hope you had fun!” My answer is a loud and resounding “YES!” I had so much fun with the lovable troublemaking duo, Gracie and Helen, as they took me on a wild ride of hilarious antics, ridiculous (and intriguing) baked goods, and non-stop humor. But it’s also so much more than fun. It’s relatable for all those who menstruate, across all ages, and it’s such a relief to have a book that starts this very necessary conversation about an issue that impacts all of us. Because even those who don’t menstruate have a friend or loved one who does or did or will. In that same way, Free Period is a book for everyone looking for a great story with friendship changes (got it in spades), parent-child dynamics (present and nuanced), empowered kids (YESSSS), first crushes (it’s adorable), humor (overflows with it), hijinx (hi dose) and period equity (so informative without being lesson-y)! Really, what more could you want? Besides your very own cuterus uterus, that is.

What an absolutely FABULOUS middle grade debut!! I loved Gracie and Helen and their big-hearted yet misguided antics trying to spearhead a period equity campaign at their school only to come up against obstacle after obstacle. Two more quirky, close-knit best friends I haven't read before and I really hope we get to see them again in another book.

This should be required reading in schools - particularly in for its important message that period products should be a basic right, supplied in all bathrooms so that students don't have to worry about accidents or not being able to afford menstral products. HIGHLY, highly recommend this book. I would give it all the stars if I could. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

This middle-grade realistic fiction title is both hilarious and heartfelt. It strikes a perfect balance to entertain and educate all readers without ever becoming didactic. More books like this are needed!

I loved this book! I loved so many great quotes, mainly because they were true, and they brought me back to my middle school and high school days of needing to use the bathroom for my period issues. ("Putting a small mattress between my legs"... Something like that. I need to find the quotes).

I loved so many things about this book that I don't know where to begin. It's a perfect book for all students, regardless of gender. I liked how the author included boys' points of view. Including one boy who keeps period products in his backpack in case a friend of his may need it. That just shows that it is okay for anyone and everyone to talk about periods and period products.

I also liked how the characters said period equity is a human right and not necessarily a girl's right. I would have liked for them to maybe mention transgendered people who would also need period products. It was mentioned that products would be placed in boys' bathrooms too, but not specifically mentioned for transgendered people or nonbinary people either.

There are so many great ideas and social issues for class discussions within these awesome pages. I also have tried to get period products into the bathrooms at work to no avail. Maybe this book can help. At work students sometimes ask for a "blueberry", meaning they need a pad (it comes in a blue box). They shouldn't need to use code words to ask for basic daily/monthly needs.

I loved how the author had the characters talking about how they need to be in a safe school environment to be able to learn and that included having period products available WHERE they were needed - IN THE BATHROOMS, all of them! Including the staff bathrooms! I have had coworkers asking if I had anything they could use because they too were caught off guard with their periods showing up unexpectedly. School staff don't have time to run home or to the store during the day and it should be made available.
I can go on and on and on. Just read it for yourself or with your classroom.

A must-have for all libraries and a must-read for everyone!

@alitereseauthor #FreePeriod #SchoolLibrary #SchoolLibrarians #GoodReads
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Terese’s characters, Helen and Gracie, offer a hilarious and refreshing tale on period equity and friendships. While Helen and Gracie are known for their impulsive and chaotic pranks, after a prank goes bad, like rotten egg bad, they are forced to work on a school project. Except, when the project becomes personal, they learn to use their chaotic skill sets to make a change in their school and within themselves.

A book with a wonderful blend of humor and heart, FREE PERIOD is a fun read that balances activism with chaotic hijinks in the very best way. Important and downright hilarious, it tackles the topic of menstruation through the wonderful voices of two extremely funny, likeable, and relatable middle schoolers who learn about the power they have to make change while still being themselves and working together with others. A thoroughly enjoyable book to inform and inspire.

Free Period is a book filled with heart and humor wrapped around a serious issue. Ali Terese has captured the angst of adolescents as their bodies change, and follows her main characters, Gracie and Helen, as they learn to find their own voices in school and at home. There are pranks and friendship hurdles, crushes and run-ins with authority, and lots of avant-garde baking and crocheting. The girls use their different strengths to persevere and ultimately make a difference––saving their friendship and making surprising new friends along the way.

A super fun, super important read for middle schoolers and beyond. Helen and Gracie are goofy little gremlins who love to terrorize the halls of their middle school... until they land the punishment of working in the Community Action Club. This book tackles the problem of period equity so well, and I can already see it becoming a modern children's classic alongside Are You There God, It's Me Margaret.

Both girls were hilarious, chaotic, and full of heart. I did have trouble distinguishing between the two (their voices were so similar!), and while they had their own storylines and character arcs, I wish their personalities were a tad bit different. Gracie has no problem talking about periods; Helen is awkward saying the word "pad." I wish this contrast was worked with a little more! I also was expecting a little more from Madison, the antagonistic popular girl to give more of a motive for her passion (I wanted a story from her about why she cared about period equity--like an embarrassing first period origin!). Overall though, big fun.

This book toes the line between entertainment and education wonderfully and I think will make an impact on the creative little minds of the world.

FREE PERIOD by Ali Terese is the type of story I wish me and my friends had when we were in middle school. It's funny, endearing, and entertaining on every page! A laugh out loud adventure that is a treat for both kids and adults.

Helen and Gracie's friendship takes them on a wild journey where they learn what they can get away with, and what will land them in a heap of trouble. And what do you do when your bestie is the biggest troublemaker in school? Hang on tight!

Normalizing menstruation is simply one of the many gifts in this story. Understanding what it takes to create change is another gem. Ali Terese has crafted a fantastic tale about characters trying to make their world, and ours, a better place.