Dress Codes for Small Towns
Publisher
HarperTeen
Publication Year
2017
ISBN
9780062398512
Pages
352 pages
Genre
realism
Format
novel
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
As the tomboy daughter of the town’s preacher, Billie McCaffrey has always struggled with fitting the mold of what everyone says she should be. She’d rather wear sweats, build furniture, and get into trouble with her solid group of friends: Woods, Mash, Davey, Fifty, and Janie Lee. But when Janie Lee confesses to Billie that she’s in love with Woods, Billie’s filled with a nagging sadness as she realizes that she is also in love with Woods…and maybe with Janie Lee, too. Always considered “one of the guys,” Billie doesn’t want anyone slapping a label on her sexuality before she can understand it herself. So she keeps her conflicting feelings to herself, for fear of ruining the group dynamic. Except it’s not just about keeping the peace, it’s about understanding love on her terms—this thing that has always been defined as a boy and a girl falling in love and living happily ever after. For Billie—a box-defying dynamo—it’s not that simple. Readers will be drawn to Billie as she comes to terms with the gray areas of love, gender, and friendship, in this John Hughes-esque exploration of sexual fluidity.
Grade Level
9-12
Lexile Measure
HL710L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; LGBTQ (Gender and Sexuality); Separation; Gay/Lesbian; Androgyny; Gender nonconformity; separated parents; separate homes; lesbian; lesbian teenager; bisexual; bisexual teenager; masculine characteristics; gender identity; gender roles
Main Character
female teenager
Race/Ethnicities
White
Family Formation
multiple
LGBTQ+
questioning female
Awards
Booklist Book Review Stars, 2017
Choices, 2018 Fiction Young Adult
Kirkus Best Teen Books, 2017 Best Contemporary Teen Reads
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 2017
Rainbow List, 2018 Young Adult Fiction
YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, 2018 Young Adult Fiction
Cybils Awards, 2017, Nominee, Young Adult Fiction
Golden Kite Award, 2018, Honor, YA/Children's
Keywords
friendship; small town; Christians; the South; fitting in; relationships; questioning; tomboy
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Stevens, Courtney, "Dress Codes for Small Towns" (2017). Diverse Families. 1452.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1452