Status
Available
Call number
Call number
FIC FIR
Collection
Description
Juvenile Fiction. Juvenile Literature. HTML:In this debut middle-grade girl-power friendship story, perfect for fans of Moxie, 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.… (more)
Genres
Publication
New York, NY : Putnam Pub Group, 2020.
Original publication date
2020-07-07
Language
User reviews
LibraryThing member jothebookgirl
This is a timely novel about the plight of the middle school student and in particular, the female population. The students call upon the power of social networking to fight their school’s oppressive dress code.
The saga begins with some furious students. The school officials have cancelled the
Molly persuades Olivia to tell her embarrassing story of the reason behind why she “showed her shoulders” at school on her new podcast. Going public at first worsens her humiliation and both girls become targets of the school bullies. As Molly’s podcast begins to receive fame, others post photos of Incidents of other dress-code shaming on Instagram. The posts begin to reveal the harm caused by policing girls’ appearances while ignoring social, cultural, and economic realities that govern their lives and clothing choices.
The bodies of middle schoolers vary vastly and girls with curvier bodies are repeatedly addressed. When district administrators ignore their petition to end dress coding, students begin to empower themselves.
The characters are completely believable for this reader as I have experience as a middle school teacher. Molly, is average and has the gift of empathy. Her brother is addicted to vaping causing stress for her white middle-class family financially and emotionally. Diverse secondary characters include several with disabilities. Beyond code inequities, everyday issues like family stress and active-shooter lockdowns complicate the lives of the very real characters.
The book was not a favorite read for me, but I think it will have great appeal to older middle school girls. They will relate to the very up to date issues facing students in the complicated world of middle school.
The saga begins with some furious students. The school officials have cancelled the
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class campout because one student, Olivia, has violated the dress code. This is obviously wrong, wrong on the part of the school leaders. Molly persuades Olivia to tell her embarrassing story of the reason behind why she “showed her shoulders” at school on her new podcast. Going public at first worsens her humiliation and both girls become targets of the school bullies. As Molly’s podcast begins to receive fame, others post photos of Incidents of other dress-code shaming on Instagram. The posts begin to reveal the harm caused by policing girls’ appearances while ignoring social, cultural, and economic realities that govern their lives and clothing choices.
The bodies of middle schoolers vary vastly and girls with curvier bodies are repeatedly addressed. When district administrators ignore their petition to end dress coding, students begin to empower themselves.
The characters are completely believable for this reader as I have experience as a middle school teacher. Molly, is average and has the gift of empathy. Her brother is addicted to vaping causing stress for her white middle-class family financially and emotionally. Diverse secondary characters include several with disabilities. Beyond code inequities, everyday issues like family stress and active-shooter lockdowns complicate the lives of the very real characters.
The book was not a favorite read for me, but I think it will have great appeal to older middle school girls. They will relate to the very up to date issues facing students in the complicated world of middle school.
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LibraryThing member foggidawn
Molly's pretty average. She's average looking, she's an average student, and she hasn't gotten really involved in anything. . . until the day she observes another girl being unfairly targeted for a dress code violation at her middle school. She begins to discover that what she saw is the tip of the
This is going to be really useful reading for middle-schoolers, especially those who feel that their school's dress code policy is unfair, or that it's being unfairly enforced. I thought that the characterization was pretty flat -- I couldn't really tell Molly's friends apart, or remember which one was which, and the school principal and his dress code enforcer (known to the students only as "Fingertip") were cartoonish villains. So, it's not something that I'd recommend to adult readers, unless you're working directly with students who are affected by dress code policies. But I can see the value of having it around, particularly in middle-school libraries.
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iceberg, and she decides to do something about it. She starts with a podcast, sharing interviews with girls who have been humiliated for various minor infractions. But is there more that she can do?This is going to be really useful reading for middle-schoolers, especially those who feel that their school's dress code policy is unfair, or that it's being unfairly enforced. I thought that the characterization was pretty flat -- I couldn't really tell Molly's friends apart, or remember which one was which, and the school principal and his dress code enforcer (known to the students only as "Fingertip") were cartoonish villains. So, it's not something that I'd recommend to adult readers, unless you're working directly with students who are affected by dress code policies. But I can see the value of having it around, particularly in middle-school libraries.
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LibraryThing member acargile
So much to say. Dress Coded, a 2021 Lone Star novel, discusses courage, kindness, equality, acceptance, responsibility, and growing up. I know, that's a lot. Is it perfect? No--it presents a narrow view of an important problem without covering the opposition. With that said, it's unimportant
At Fisher Middle School, girls receive different treatment. At one point, a character comments that they used to have so much fun as kids--no one expected anything except them to be kids and they only talk about the good times as kids. They want more good times, but they feel the stresses of their age. Middle school can be challenging. The stresses include the threat of school violence, such as a shooter, weather disasters, bears, bullies, liking someone who doesn't like you back, problems at home, mean siblings, homework, and fitting in. The main stress involves the dress code. Girls are "pulled over" frequently--usually the girls who are more developed. Girls who still look like little girls can wear whatever they want. Boys are never "pulled over." The event that starts it all happens with Olivia. Olivia, blamed for canceling the camping trip, feels mortified. When "pulled over," she refuses to put her sweatshirt on to cover up her shoulders which are showing because she has a tank top on. She can't put it on because she started her period and has on white pants. She's waiting for his sister to bring her new pants. As she cries, the two men who enforce the dress code yell at her. Everyone points their anger at Olivia for cancelling the trip. This incident sets Molly off on her campaign.
Molly spends her time trying to make things right. She wants her mom and dad to not worry about her, so she remains the "good kid." She wants her brother to actually like her, but he's got many, many problems that take up her parents' time. Molly has great friends and reconnects with friends she hasn't spent much time with during her advocacy. Molly never gets "pulled over" because she still looks like a kid. They're eighth graders but she is still small and has not developed; therefore, she's ignored. She's so mad that Olivia was treated so badly and then bullied by Nick that she starts a podcast called Dress Coded. She invites girls to talk about how they've been treated. The inequality stands out. Via a whisper campaign after interviewing Olive, the truth comes out and the girls no longer blame Olivia for the cancelled trip; the boys remain silent. As the podcast grows, so do Molly's circle of friends. She discovers wonderful girls who all have problems and the dress code causes even more angst. They lose their self-confidence. They don't feel good in anything they are allowed to wear. They feel defeated and judged.. There's no joy. There's no one building them up with words of encouragement or ways to grow into a better human: "you did great," "congratulations," etc. Instead of becoming strong girls, they become beaten down females who feel unworthy. There's the stereotypical bully who doesn't help. Molly pays absolutely little attention to him. After living with her brother, I can't imagine he could cause her more problems.
I really enjoyed the novel. There are so many sentences to take out and use as universal truths. Molly, almost too good to be true, finds a voice. She quietly goes about at her house because her brother takes up a lot of oxygen, but she finds her voice, visibility, and meaning which makes the novel so uplifting. I especially like that her parents support her. Yes, they spend a lot of time with Molly's brother, but they recognize Molly's advocacy and cheer for her. Molly is also friends with just about everyone: Tom who had a traumatic brain injury and Megan who has Cerebral Palsy. The bullying that happens to these kids who are different makes you even angrier. Molly doesn't judge but enjoys knowing everyone. She listens and asks how they feel. Everyone wants to be seen, have a voice, reveal their feelings, and feel part of a group. Molly does that. As all these stresses take little pieces out of us, coming together can pull those pieces back. It's a really great, uplifting novel asking us to see each other, be kind, and accept one another so that we can make good memories now and not just look back. Oh, and, don't vape!
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because the novel is laser-focused. That's why. It's not meant to show all sides of an issue. It's making one valid point for one side of an argument, making it a home run.At Fisher Middle School, girls receive different treatment. At one point, a character comments that they used to have so much fun as kids--no one expected anything except them to be kids and they only talk about the good times as kids. They want more good times, but they feel the stresses of their age. Middle school can be challenging. The stresses include the threat of school violence, such as a shooter, weather disasters, bears, bullies, liking someone who doesn't like you back, problems at home, mean siblings, homework, and fitting in. The main stress involves the dress code. Girls are "pulled over" frequently--usually the girls who are more developed. Girls who still look like little girls can wear whatever they want. Boys are never "pulled over." The event that starts it all happens with Olivia. Olivia, blamed for canceling the camping trip, feels mortified. When "pulled over," she refuses to put her sweatshirt on to cover up her shoulders which are showing because she has a tank top on. She can't put it on because she started her period and has on white pants. She's waiting for his sister to bring her new pants. As she cries, the two men who enforce the dress code yell at her. Everyone points their anger at Olivia for cancelling the trip. This incident sets Molly off on her campaign.
Molly spends her time trying to make things right. She wants her mom and dad to not worry about her, so she remains the "good kid." She wants her brother to actually like her, but he's got many, many problems that take up her parents' time. Molly has great friends and reconnects with friends she hasn't spent much time with during her advocacy. Molly never gets "pulled over" because she still looks like a kid. They're eighth graders but she is still small and has not developed; therefore, she's ignored. She's so mad that Olivia was treated so badly and then bullied by Nick that she starts a podcast called Dress Coded. She invites girls to talk about how they've been treated. The inequality stands out. Via a whisper campaign after interviewing Olive, the truth comes out and the girls no longer blame Olivia for the cancelled trip; the boys remain silent. As the podcast grows, so do Molly's circle of friends. She discovers wonderful girls who all have problems and the dress code causes even more angst. They lose their self-confidence. They don't feel good in anything they are allowed to wear. They feel defeated and judged.. There's no joy. There's no one building them up with words of encouragement or ways to grow into a better human: "you did great," "congratulations," etc. Instead of becoming strong girls, they become beaten down females who feel unworthy. There's the stereotypical bully who doesn't help. Molly pays absolutely little attention to him. After living with her brother, I can't imagine he could cause her more problems.
I really enjoyed the novel. There are so many sentences to take out and use as universal truths. Molly, almost too good to be true, finds a voice. She quietly goes about at her house because her brother takes up a lot of oxygen, but she finds her voice, visibility, and meaning which makes the novel so uplifting. I especially like that her parents support her. Yes, they spend a lot of time with Molly's brother, but they recognize Molly's advocacy and cheer for her. Molly is also friends with just about everyone: Tom who had a traumatic brain injury and Megan who has Cerebral Palsy. The bullying that happens to these kids who are different makes you even angrier. Molly doesn't judge but enjoys knowing everyone. She listens and asks how they feel. Everyone wants to be seen, have a voice, reveal their feelings, and feel part of a group. Molly does that. As all these stresses take little pieces out of us, coming together can pull those pieces back. It's a really great, uplifting novel asking us to see each other, be kind, and accept one another so that we can make good memories now and not just look back. Oh, and, don't vape!
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LibraryThing member brookiexlicious
I could strongly relate to the subject matter, because when I was in high school I was often reprimanded violating the dress code, and would address many of the same arguments that Molly and her friends make regarding the hypocrisy of it & the sexualization. Unlike Molly however, I didn’t have
This is the first juvenile fiction book I’ve read in years, so I tried to be forgiving of the books faults. But there was a background story that honestly made me laugh out loud when I first read about it. Molly’s older brother vapes, and it’s treated by everyone like a drug addiction, with cheesy lines spoken by his family members that sound like they’re straight from an after-school special. Yes, vaping can be a serious issue for underage kids, but it comes across as so melodramatic that it lessons the impact the author was going for. The story could well have done without it, in my opinion. There is also another subplot involving bears in the community that came completely out of nowhere and felt silly and unnecessary.
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the courage to rally my classmates to demand change, and it’s something I still regret not doing. Reading about the teacher’s remarks to the students angered me, and brought back my own memories of being body shamed by school officials. It was really powerful reading a young adult book where the characters were so determined and their methods inspirational to make their voices heard. This is the first juvenile fiction book I’ve read in years, so I tried to be forgiving of the books faults. But there was a background story that honestly made me laugh out loud when I first read about it. Molly’s older brother vapes, and it’s treated by everyone like a drug addiction, with cheesy lines spoken by his family members that sound like they’re straight from an after-school special. Yes, vaping can be a serious issue for underage kids, but it comes across as so melodramatic that it lessons the impact the author was going for. The story could well have done without it, in my opinion. There is also another subplot involving bears in the community that came completely out of nowhere and felt silly and unnecessary.
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LibraryThing member fionaanne
I was annoyed at how the narrative was constructed at first but it's a solid story and I was sucked in. There are more plot threads here than I'm used to seeing in MG books but they were well enough integrated that it dovetailed nicely at the end. I kept losing track of secondary characters though
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cause there's a lot of them. While this is very much an "issue" book, its well-fleshed out and doesn't resort to preaching. The stuff about memorial day and the locals who had died in "the First Gulf War" was a bit fucked-up and serves as a sharp reminder of how militaristic the US has become. Show Less
LibraryThing member RaeDCordova
Dress Coded focuses on the (sometimes) overwhelming negativity that young girls in middle school face today when it comes to their clothing choices. The book follows Molly, a young girl who decides to start her own podcast after her friend, Olivia, is humiliated by their school Dean and Principal
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and who becomes a social pariah. One of the many important aspects of the book, is the fact that young girls in middle school are going through a lot; especially when it comes to puberty. Olivia was shamed for wearing a tank top, after removing her sweatshirt in order to cover up her pants, after she realized all too late, that she had gotten her period. Instead of the Dean and Principal hearing her out, they shamed her for exposing skin and cancelled the class field trip because of her supposed "insubordination." With this podcast, many other students, both past and present, come to Molly and Olivia's side to tell their stories of being shamed for their clothing choices, or getting in trouble when the dress code was never explained. Molly is also dealing with personal family issues; a brother who has been caught vaping, and parents who are so hyperfocused on his day-to-day activities, that their interest in Molly takes a back seat. This is a great book for middle school girls, but especially boys too, because there are so many times when boys will even make fun of girls for what they are wearing, how they are wearing something, etc., and not even realize that their classmates might be going through a bit of a crises, like Olivia. It teaches kids to come together and to fight for what's right and to stand up to bullying, even if the bullies are adults. Show Less
ISBN
9781984816436