Dress Coded

By: Carrie Firestone

Narrated by: Cassandra Morris, Taylor Meskimen, Kim Mai Guest, Tara Sands, Sharinna Allan, Sophie Amoss, Andrea Emmes, Caitlin Kelly, Krystel Roche, Asia Mattu, Courtney Lin

In this inspiring novel about girls using their collective power to improve their lives, an eighth grader starts a podcast to protest the unfair dress code enforcement at her middle school—and sparks a rebellion.

"A much-needed reminder that certain fights are worth fighting, that while bears of all types may prowl unsettlingly close, fear can be faced down and victories achieved, especially with strength in numbers."—The New York Times

"Full of humor, rage, and heart . . . shows how systemic change can be made when girls stand together. Absolutely necessary for tweens and teens."—Booklist (starred review)

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.

Critic reviews

Four Starred Reviews
A Junior Library Guild Selection
A Kids' Indie Next List Pick
A Booklist Editors' Choice
A Rise: Feminist Book Project Selection
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year

"A much-needed reminder that certain fights are worth fighting, that while bears of all types may prowl unsettlingly close, fear can be faced down and victories achieved, especially with strength in numbers." --The New York Times

"Timely, engaging, and full of heart." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Full of humor, rage, and heart . . . A triumphant ending shows how systemic change can be made when girls stand together. Absolutely necessary for tweens and teens . . . Straight fire." --Booklist, starred review

"Crackling . . . A deeply, often scathingly honest work of modern fiction." --School Library Journal, starred review

"With timely, important anecdotes that ring painfully true, Firestone cuts to the heart of the damage that dress coding can inflict . . . [A] deeply satisfying, variously inclusive journey with a wonderfully flawed main character." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

"[Dress Coded] addresses deeper issues such as draconian and prejudicial dress codes, body shaming, name calling, bullying, and vaping . . . The story reflects the ups and downs of middle school, and the validation that comes when one successfully stands up for what one believes." --School Library Connection

"With a perfect mix of friendship, humor, and girl power, Dress Coded is a book readers need." --Stacy McAnulty, bestselling author of The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl

"Dress Coded is a compelling, subversive, emotionally astute story of the pernicious effects of everyday sexism and of the revolutionary potential when girls decide to fight back. An electrifying ode to the power of standing up and standing together." --Anne Ursu, author of The Real Boy and The Lost Girl

Perfection

DRESS CODED is one of the best middle grade books I’ve read in recent memory.

Molly Frost, an eighth grader who starts a podcast to expose her middle school’s unfair and overzealous dress code which unfairly targets certain girls.

Molly is a great character and advocate. She isn’t in the fight for the sake of fighting, she just wants the sexist rules to stop. She respectfully tries to work within the system using logic and appealing to her school’s personnel and slowly escalates her efforts with an increasing amount of support from her classmates. At home, she’s dealing with an unkind brother addicted to vaping.

I can’t recommend DRESS CODED enough.

love this.

I absolutely love this book. the story is great and the performance was awesome

My new favorite book

This book is so good I do not even know where to start. The story is a strong, uplifting story about fighting for equality. The characters are instantly likable, and the book is SO relatable for ANY middle schooler that feels self-conscience about how they look. The reading performance was excellent, too! I recommend this to middle school kids everywhere.

This is such a good book 

This book is highlighting a lot of middle schools, that I have unfair dress codes, and I get that schools are trying to protect children but some of the things in the schools not OK  I really recommend for girls that are going into middle school or going into seventh grade or eighth grade. I think this is a Great book 😜🫶🏻 

So true and moving

This book is just incredible and I love all the chapters and metaphors (my fave was The Lip Balm Of Friendship)!