Dress Codes for Small Towns

When seventeen-year-old tomboy Billie and her friends accidentally cause a fire in the church’s youth room in the small southern town of Otters Holt it starts a conflict with her pastor father. Billie is also struggling with her sexuality and the loss of her relationship with her father, so as penance for her recent escapades, Billie and her friends--the Hexagon--set out to save the town’s Harvest Festival while exploring their own relationships. This engaging coming-of-age story deals with relationships, sexuality, sexual fluidity, gender identity, and gender roles, and would be useful as a literature circle, independent, or class novel for grades 8-12.