T-Backs, T-Shirts, Coat, and Suit

In T‑Backs, T‑Shirts, COAT, and Suit, thirteen-year-old Chloë Pollack is sent to spend the summer with her Aunt Bernadette while navigating the conflicting pressures of adolescence and family expectation. When Bernadette refuses to wear provocative advertising attire at her roadside food stand, she becomes a target of local backlash and protests by uncovering belongings of public morality and self-expression. As Chloe observes her aunt’s quiet courage and gradually connects with her own sense of autonomy, she learns about identity, conformity, and the strength found in unexpected bonds. A thoughtful character-centered novel by Konigsburg that speaks to values and growing up.

I liked this and I learned something while reading it. A good story, good characters, and some interesting historical facts without bogging down the narrative. A masterful job of walking a fine line. Some interesting twists and a very satisfying ending.

Spending the summer in Florida with her stepfather's sister, who operates a "meals-on-wheels" van, twelve-year-old Chloe and her aunt become involved in a controversy surrounding the wearing of T-back bathing suits.