Dress Coded

This is a terrific story, told as a sort of collage narrative, weaving podcast into the story. I am a grandmother, and former middle school teacher, and I enjoyed it a lot, although the target audience is grades 6-10. It made me think about interactions I had when I was a teacher, talking with girls about their clothing. Firestone has created interesting characters and a very relatable plot while addressing some of the dilemmas young people face today. Not just dress codes, but also vaping, teasing, friendship issues, inclusion issues, and family drama. At no time does this book preach — but I believe it will REACH!

A friend recommended this book, and my daughter read it (320 pages) in less than 24 hours. We\’ve had so many great conversations about the stories she read about, from the embarrassing situations that arise with puberty to the unfair dress codes that are only enforced for girls, to the black girl who got in trouble for her natural hair. We\’ve talked about \”good trouble\”, speaking up without being disrespectful, and listening to our gut instincts about important issues. This was a perfect fit after a male teacher announced to the class that girls weren\’t allowed to wear tank tops or shorts because it\’s \”disgusting\”. The book helped her come to her own conclusions about what\’s really disgusting. I\’ve read parts of the book and plan to finish it myself. I highly recommend it for any other middle school girl moms out there.

A great reminder for girls AND boys that everyone has challenges and insecurities, even if you can’t see them or don’t know about them. An opportunity for parents to have an open dialogue about respect, kindness, and standing for what one believes in.

I enjoyed this book. However, the story was somewhat all over the place. I particularly enjoyed the storyline regarding Danny. The dress-code storyline fell a little flat. I did not enjoy the podcast episode chapters but aside from those chapters, I enjoyed the book.

Empowering book for middle schoolers.

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member