Written by Carrie Firestone, the Middle Grade book Dress Coded is one of my favorite books and here’s why. I’m in middle school. It’s the time in a tween’s life when we begin to reach for our own independence, identity and friendships. The lead character in this book is a regular girl who sees a problem, and she decides to bring awareness in her school.

Molly Foster sees that her school has an unfair dress code and she decides to do something about it. She creates a podcast that creates space for girls to talk about some of the experiences that they are having in their school culture, and some of the discrimination that some girls are experiencing as a result of their body shape. Below are five things that parents and kids need to know about Dress Coded.

Parents need to know that…

Teachers sometimes discriminate against students on the premise of their body shape and what their body looks like. Middle school girls are going through enough as it is, and having teachers who stereotype, typecast and have misconceptions about their students can have a very negative impact on students. In this book, the teachers are not always right, and students don’t always back down.

This book showcases for kids and teenagers the power of activism in a relatable, age-appropriate manner without watering down powerful themes such as: body positivity, activism and what it means to stand up for what one believes. Unity is a big theme too, because many of the youth come together—new friends and old friends. This book showcases the positive aspects of protesting, and it does not promote violence.

This is not a book about racism. It’s a book about discrimination and it will provide opportunities to talk with tweens and teenagers about ways that the youth can learn to advocate for themselves. There’s also mentions about breasts, as well as periods.

There’s a powerful underlying theme of leaving a legacy to the next generation also. After the protests, Molly leaves her podcast to a younger middle school girl as she heads off to high school.

In my opinion, this book is great for ages 9-14. However, there’s something within the storyline that all girls and women can relate to.

To learn more about Dress Coded, feel free to visit the author’s website or purchase the book HERE.