![Cover image for Branded [electronic resource] :](https://images.yourcloudlibrary.com/delivery/img?type=DOCUMENTIMAGE&documentID=duh72g9&token=nobody "Cover image for Branded [electronic resource] :")
Summary
Summary
The principal announces that the school is implementing uniforms, and Ian finds himself caught in a conflict.
Julia, the student body president and Ian's friend, wants Ian to devise a plan to fight the decision, but the principal is determined to convince Ian the uniforms are a good idea. Ian doesn't see the problem with uniforms and wants nothing to do with the issue, but while doing research for a social-justice class, Ian learns that the manufacturer of the uniforms is on the top-ten list in the industry for human-rights violations. When he tells the principal their clothing is being made in sweatshops using child labor, all he gets is a reminder that the penalty for refusing to wear the uniforms is expulsion. Ian finds himself caught in a whole new conflict--one with himself.
Reviews (3)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-When his high school announces that all students will be getting uniforms, Ian can't be bothered to protest. He doesn't care all that much. Then, in his social-justice class, taught by the principal, he learns that many of his favorite things are made on foreign soil by exploiting the poor people of those countries. When he finds out that the uniform he's being forced to wear is manufactured by a company that is considered one of the worst offenders, he decides to take a stand and tries to get the board to change its mind, even thought there are consequences. While the overall theme is a bit heavy-handed, the plot does moves quickly, making for a quick read. A good choice for libraries looking to add to their hi/lo collections.-Esther Keller, I.S. 278, Marine Park, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
When the principal insists on school uniforms--even though the company that makes them is guilty of child labor abuses--Ian must decide how far he should take his protest. Can he practice what he has learned in the principal's social justice class? Although the characterizations of Ian and his friends are not well developed, Walters explores an interesting topic. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
After his high-school principal announces that all students will wear uniforms the following semester, Ian doesn't know how he feels. Julia, the student body president, is indignant, while his crazy friend, Oswald, kind of likes the idea. As Ian learns more about foreign sweat shops and child labor in his principal-led social-justice class, his opinion about the uniforms is solidified. Walters offers an often-didactic, easy read that touches on controversies about school uniforms and foreign labor as well as the prickly subject of when to stand up for one's convictions. This fast-moving offering skims over the complexity surrounding the topics, and readers may want to move from this fictional introduction to other titles, including nonfiction sources, that examine the issues in greater detail.--Bradburn, Frances Copyright 2010 Booklist
