The Hundred Dresses

Title: The Hundred Dresses          

Author: Eleanor Estes

Copyright Date: 1972              

Genre: Modern Fantasy                                     

Pages of Book: 80 Pages

Publisher: Harcourt Brace & Company                                                

Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary: The Hundred Dresses is about a young girl named Wanda who was very poor and she had a weird name. She wanted so badly to fit in with all the other little girls in her class. One day the girls were chattering about a new dress one girl was wearing when Wanda piped up that she has 100 dresses in her closet. All the girls thought this was so funny because Wanda wore one faded blue dress all the time. After this day many of Maddie's (girl the story is told through) friends would ask Wanda about her hundred dresses and then laugh at her. Maddie always felt bad about this but never did anything about it. Then one day they started to notice that Wanda hadn't been to school the last few days. They had a contest in their class of who could design the best dresses. Peggy the popular girl thought for sure she would win. They were all shocked when the teacher announced that Wanda had won the contest and drew 100 dresses. Later that day they class received a letter from Wanda's dad saying that they were moving since the class had picked on his daughter. Maddie and Peggy felt really bad and so they tried to go visit her house but they had already moved. They did write her a letter though. It sort of resolved their feelings of guilt about how mean they were to Wanda. They vowed to never do it again. 

Reaction: I thought this was a very good book. I quite enjoyed this fast read book. The moral is one that children need to be constantly reminded of. I wouldn't change a single thing about this book. 

Problem: Wanda is made fun of and now has moved. The girls that picked on her now feel bad and want to make amends. 

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to all ages and types. Boys might not like this book as much because it is a little girly. However I think this is a great book to read to young girls even before they can read themselves.