About Us

Women Owned

Local & Independent

Mission Driven

Our Story

As a Medford mom of two young boys, Michelle was motivated to open a children’s bookstore to fill a need in the community. With beautiful nature trails in the Fells, the Mystic river and the ponds, wonderful free programming for young children by the MFN, a gorgeous new library, and dozens of parks and playgrounds to explore around the city - the only thing missing was a local indie bookstore where kids always feel welcome.

Michelle took to heart the Gandhi inspired quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world" and decided to open Moon and Back Bookstore in her neighborhood in West Medford, Massachusetts.

Moon and Back's mission is to empower children to embrace what makes them unique, so they will grow into kind, smart humans that will be a force for good in the world. In other words, "Today a reader, tomorrow a leader."

Our Values

EMBRACE:

Empathy

Mindfulness

Bravery

Respect

Authenticity

Connection

Encouragement

While we believe it is more important than ever to foster a love of reading in our children, we also know that there are many places to buy books. So why choose Moon and Back?

Community: Community-building is the cornerstone of Moon and Back. We're not a faceless, giant that is here to make money. We're here for the community, to bring people together, and to help raise kind, smart kids.

Welcoming: We want you and your family to feel welcome and feel like you belong here. Children aren't just tolerated at Moon and Back, we want them to feel seen.

Easy to Browse: Our shelves are designed to be browsable for KIDS. We organize the store by many of the categories that excite kids (trucks, animals, space, dinosaurs!), not by author or alphabetically.

Your Choice: We believe that one of the best ways to get kids interested in reading is letting them choose the book. As anyone that has met a 2 year old can attest, many kids insist on doing things themselves (and do NOT want your input and especially not your advice). Letting them loose in the bookstore is magical. We do a lot of gift certificates for this reason (gift certificates can be bought in person or online).

Curation: When selecting giftable items to go with our books, we source items from brands that are locally-owned, women-owned, sustainable/eco-friendly, and/or handcrafted. We believe we "vote" with our wallets, and how/where/what we spend our money on matters!