I do wish I’d read Dress Coded before First Rule because it is spoiled a bit in First Rule of Climate Club, but it was still interesting to read how everything came to be. Just like Climate Club, there are additional side stories that are happening at the same time which adds to the book also!

Is it fair for one person to be dress coded and another not to be? Well the school thinks that the girls need to be more aware of what they are wearing and how they are wearing their clothes. Administration thinks that the girls and their fashion choices are too distracting. Find out just how the girls decide to deal with this inequality by reading Dress Coded by Carrie Firestone! Happy reading!

This was a New Hampshire state book award nominee for the Isinglass Award for students in grades 7 and 8. They loved it when they read it and found it relatable.

DRESS CODED will be a story that school age readers will relate to. The storyline around the uneven enforcement of the rules on the MS girls, the activism in initiating change is engaging. Their leadership will educate and inspire.

This book is about middle school girls who decide to challenge the school's dress code and it does an excellent job of showing why dress codes are problematic on their face but especially when they are weighted against certain groups or enforced unevenly. But more than that, in making a pod cast and challenging authority, Molly finds her voice, finds and loses friends, and comes to terms with her problematic relationship with her troubled older brother. In some ways, it reminded me of Girls on the Verge, a book that sounds like what in the library world we used to call an issue book but there is an actual story there. Maybe if there were more Mollys in the world, there would be fewer situations like Camile's.

The overall message of this book was extremely impactful. It really resonated with me how much things like dress code can affect middle school girls. I also appreciate the inclusivity featured throughout the characters (sapphic, MS, TBI, Asian, Black characters etc.)

I was fortunate enough to not have to have dealt with this growing up, however my sister went to a different middle school and had a very similar experience to what these girls encountered. I know there are middle schools out there that do treat their students like this and I think this is an extremely important story to get into middle school libraries because of this.

I enjoyed the humor in this book and appreciated how uplifting it was. I loved Molly as a character though I do think she was written as a bit too mature for the normal 8th grade girl. Maybe this shows how immature myself and my friends were at this age but I know none of us would have had the courage to do everything Molly did in this story (especially standing up in front of the school board).

My only complaint with this book was the sub plots thrown in. I felt the vaping was extremely over dramatized for what it was, it took up a large portion when I feel like the same messages could have been sent with just him being a bully to Molly. I also think there was a lot thrown in that was unnecessary to the plot (bears, the random mentions of school shootings, tornados etc.) I think this book tried to tackle a bit too much and it took away from the main plot of the dress codes. I’m not sure if the intent was to feature how middle school brains work, with treating everything like the end of the world, but it felt a bit jumbled.

Overall I do think this was a very good book, I am happy I picked it up and I greatly enjoyed the audiobook as well!

This book tackles multiple tough subjects, but the main one has to do with girls dress codes. I think this story is very relevant right now as dress codes are being questioned more and more. The tough subjects were handled well, but there was also a lot discussed that didn’t have to do with dress codes. This was a quick read and I think every middle schooler needs to read it!

With the use of social media and podcasting, 8th grader Molly Fisher educates her listeners/classmates about the unfair school dress code. Perfect book for students interested in activism, making a change. Readers will see that taking a stand and speaking up for what they believe in CAN make a difference.

"Souls leave bodies in tiny gasps, like when you hold the lip of a balloon tightly and let you the air a little bit at a time."

The second I finished Dress Coded, I immediately knew this book was Project LIT material and I was thrilled to see it on the voting ballot this winter. Dress Coded is a brilliantly written book that takes the very real issue of (ridiculous) dress codes and puts some middle schoolers up to the task of dismantling an incredibly sexist system that has been in place for far too long. The book is formatted in a unique way with a host of podcast episodes and short vignettes that shape the story. Molly Frost is the one telling the story, completely fed up with the adults who spend far too much time and energy looking at the female students and what they're wearing. If students are dress coded, they are pulled out of class until a suitable clothing change can be made. The stories other students, both past and present, share are horrific and yet I can definitely see where every single one of these stories is based on a true experience. The amount of policing adults do when it comes to the clothes young people are wearing is such a waste of time and is, as shown in this book, incredibly damaging to the young people who are victims of the adults' policing.

The one thing I didn't love about this book was the subplot of Molly's older brother being in constant trouble for vaping and selling vaping supplies to the neighborhood kids. While I know vaping is a huge epidemic in middle school, I didn't feel like this subplot added much to the overall story or message this book was trying to get at. I actually felt these parts of the book detracted from the book and I wanted these parts to be over as quickly as they started. Besides this subplot, I found myself really enjoying this book and the empowerment this book presents to young people, girls especially. The audio of this book was also a delight as each podcast episode was shared by a different narrator, making the podcast episodes seem that much more realistic.

I hope this book sparks new energy and empowerment in our young people so they can help dismantle the systems we have had in place for far too long that involve policing how much fabric is covering a student's body. It's been my experience that students, middle schoolers especially, learn better when they are in clothing that is comfortable, whatever that looks like for them.

TW: bullying, drug use/abuse

**Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for the advance reader's copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @NetGalley for the audioARC of Dress Coded. All opinions are my own.

Dress Coded was a cute novel about a girl named Molly who is sick and tired of her middle school's dress code, especially the way it is enforced. Some girls get dress coded, while others can wear the same exact outfit with no issues. One girl was dress coded for being sick. Another was dress coded for her HAIR. Yep.

I really liked that this story told about Molly starting her podcast and really trying to advocate for change. It's a great example of ways that even young people can stand up for what they believe in and possibly even create change. BUT, and maybe this is just me being old fashioned, why are middle schoolers wearing crop tops to begin with? Yes, the shoulders issue and the collarbone issue, I can see. But please don't petition for me to be allowed to see your belly. You're right about the shorts - nowhere makes them long enough. I had that struggle too. And thank you for pointing out that boys do NOT get distracted by SHOULDERS. They just aren't that sexy. Sorry.

I do think the added storyline about the vaping was unnecessary. It really seemed like it was just pushing the anti-vaping agenda (not saying that's wrong or right) and not helping the story along at all. The story could have been just as good without that tidbit.

3.5/5 stars

Reminiscent of Moxie by Jennifer Mathieu, albeit a middle school version, this book did an excellent job pointing out the double standards in what is “appropriate” for girls to wear. Having the heroine start a podcast on the dress code debate just reinforces the currency of the issue, while potentially acting as a subtle nudge for girls to go out and express themselves in new ways (not just via Instagram selfies).

When the end of year camping trip is cancelled when a student was dress coded, 8th grader Molly starts DressCoded:A Podcast giving girls at her school the opportunity to tell their stories. This is an on going problem at Fisher Middle School, ever since the new principal Dr. Couchman came, it seems that what certain girls are wearing is more important than the students' education. Soon, high school girls are contacting Molly to tell their stories as well. Molly and her friends try to petition the interim superintendent as well as the school board to review/remove the dress code but nothing happens. Now, standing up for what's right at FMS has turned from a movement into a revolution!

Firestone tells a great story about the problems of unevenly enforced dress code, targeting the more mature looking girls and ignoring the less developed who are wearing the same thing. The boys are getting away with vaping in the restrooms while girls get dress coded for showing a sliver of belly. I loved that Molly and her friends were leading a peaceful resistance; the supportive teachers and parents were great - letting the kids take the lead to try to change an unfair practice. The subplots about friendships, inclusion and growing up rounded out this well written middle grade novel.

I enjoyed this book. It had a great message. Several great messages in fact. The characters are very likable and the book is easy to get hooked on. I think this is a great read for Middle School girls.

I was pretty excited about this book--especially in light of many of the on-going issues and discussions about school dress codes and the unfair policing of young women's bodies. The protagonist, Molly, is dealing with the stress of middle school social pressures, a bully of a brother, and changing friendship dynamics in her middle school. The conflict with the dress code begins when a class camping trip is cancelled because a student was not able to abide by the dress code: she wore a tank top and refused to remove her sweater from around her waist to be in compliance of the strict guidelines. Molly witnesses the incident and the teachers who punished the young lady and she takes it upon herself to champion for her classmate and for all the young women who have been the targets of dress code policing. This is a great medium for young readers to learn more about the positive impact young people can have to affect change when they learn about unfair policies and rules. I liked the use of social media and technology as a means of driving the narrative forward in a realistic way.
Now, this would have been a wonderful conflict, but Carrie Firestone includes a love triangle (as "love triangle" as you can get in middle school), family issues with her older brother vaping and selling pods to his peers (to a point where it seemed more like a narrative for hard drugs...you cannot use the nicotine pods without the actual device so the image of a young man in a closet sucking on a pod without the actual device was cringe-inducing), and a bear infiltration (that seemed slapped into the narrative). As a result of all these other convoluted--somewhat irrelevant--plotlines, many of Firestone's characters were one-dimensional or overly dramatic (her mother crying and raging after find a "stash" of pods and threatening to send her son away to rehab...). I wish these tertiary plot-lines were parred down to have more of the focus remain on the topic of unfair dress code regulations and the negative impact on students.
Overall, it was an important topic as well as aspirational for young readers to realize the power of their voice, but the plotline was muddled by the unnecessary subplots that were shallow and underdeveloped.

From the publisher:
In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school and sparks a rebellion.

Molly Frost is FED UP...

Because Olivia was yelled at for wearing a tank top.

Because Liza got dress coded and Molly didn't, even though they were wearing the exact same outfit.

Because when Jessica was pulled over by the principal and missed a math quiz, her teacher gave her an F.

Because it's impossible to find shorts that are longer than her fingertips.

Because girls' bodies are not a distraction.

Because middle school is hard enough.

And so Molly starts a podcast where girls can tell their stories, and before long, her small rebellion swells into a revolution. Because now the girls are standing up for what's right, and they're not backing down.

My thoughts:
This is a cute, sassy, middle level book. Carrie Firestone, the author, captures the middle level voice in her characters and the complex relationships ring true. As a long time middle level educator, this mirrors the drama going on via group chats as well as in the hallways. Firestone is so accurate in depicting the complexities of middle school including early bloomer problems, late bloomer problems, even the horrifyingly accurate menstruation problems.

This is not just about students complaining over dress code. This is about gentle protest, equity, empowerment and giving voice to others. This is about all the awkwardness of middle school done in a way that still makes this a feel good novel.

What is most refreshing is that the adults are neither cartoon versions of humans, nor are they oddly absent. The adults presence or lack of presence is often puzzling in YA literature, but in this case, the adults are also capable of complexity and as a whole, they are rounded characters and not just cardboard cut outs.

This is a book for the middle school invisible student who spends their recess observing others and wants to be more than a silent witness to the parallel community we call middle school.

Civil disobedience is becoming a staple in middle grade lot and for good reason. Kids need to know that they can fight against rules that don't make sense in their school. Dress codes are outdated and unfair and this book does a great job tackling the subject.

After one particular embarrassing incident of dress coding happens to a friend of hers, Molly Frost starts a podcast to give girls a chance to tell their stories about the times they were dress coded, and how it affected their lives and self image. At the same time, she's dealing with her older brother Danny's vaping addiction, which is putting a huge strain on her family. Though she was never an activist before, Molly's involvement in revealing the inequitable manner in which the dress code is applied and its devastating consequences, she works to get it removed from the school handbook. Many weighty issues--coming of age, vaping, family dynamics, body image--are addressed adeptly in this novel. Molly is a likable character whose growth is believable. i feel it will be eighly appealing to a middle school audience.

Dress Coded tells an empowering tale of middle school girls learning that they should not have to be ashamed of their bodies and insisting on equitable treatment. The villainous school administrators seem a bit over the top to my privileged suburban eyes., but I acknowledge that I occasionally do hear of administrators enforcing what I consider outrageous rules. Overall, a good book for allowing girls to see their power against oppression.

This book was both refreshing and a delight. As a girl who spent her middle and high school years wearing jeans in 100 degree heat because there were no shorts in the universe that were long enough to reach beyond my fingertips. I also got in trouble during an assembly once after my principal gathered the students together to tell the girls to dress appropriately so we don't "distract the male faculty" and I immediately let out a "WHY ARE THE MALE FACULTY LOOKING AT TEENAGE GIRLS LIKE THAT."

I once read a book where a character talked about feeling like they were "seen" by certain books -- that's how I felt out this once. All of the characters jumped off the page -- especially Pearl, since middle school me would've absolutely made a podcast about my high school principal telling the high school girls not to turn on the grown men who taught them every day. I liked the format and the way the podcast is used to tell the story -- it's tricky for writers to weave in technology like that, but Carrie Firestone pulled it off seamlessly.

A great tale for middle school students. The group of girls experience common situations in middle school that will show other girls that they aren't alone. The students band together to overcome a problem in their school and make their voice and opinion known. Recommended for grades 6-8