The Hundred Dresses 
asked by teacher on November 15, 2006 4:43 AM
Wanda Petronski lives way up in shabby Boggins Heights, and she doesn't have any friends. Every day she wears a faded blue dress, which wouldn't be too much of a problem if she didn't tell her schoolmates that she had a hundred dresses at home--all silk, all colors, and velvet, too. This lie--albeit understandable in light of her dress-obsessed circle--precipitates peals of laughter from her peers, and she never hears the end of it. One day, after Wanda has been absent from school for a few days, the teacher receives a note from Wanda's father, a Polish immigrant: "Dear teacher: My Wanda will not come to your school any more. Jake also. Now we move away to big city. No more holler Polack. No more ask why funny name. Plenty of funny names in the big city. Yours truly, Jan Petronski."
Maddie, a girl who had stood by while Wanda was taunted about her dresses, feels sick inside: "True, she had not enjoyed listening to Peggy ask Wanda how many dresses she had in her closet, but she had said nothing.... She was a coward.... She had helped to make someone so unhappy that she had had to move away from town." Repentant, Maddie and her friend Peggy head up to Boggins Heights to see if the Petronskis are still there. When they discover the house is empty, Maddie despairs: "Nothing would ever seem good to her again, because just when she was about to enjoy something--like going for a hike with Peggy to look for bayberries or sliding down Barley Hill--she'd bump right smack into the thought that she had made Wanda Petronski move away." Ouch. This gentle Newbery Honor Book convincingly captures the deeply felt moral dilemmas of childhood, equally poignant for the teased or the tormentor. Louis Slobodkin, illustrator of the 1944 Caldecott Medalist Many Moons, brings his wispy, evocative, color-washed sketches to Eleanor Estes's time-proven classic about kindness, compassion, and standing up for what's right. (Ages 6 and older) --Karin Snelson
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The Dresses Game
"A hundred dresses?" they said. "Nobody could have a hundred dresses."
"I have though."
Wanda Petronski. A quiet student in room thirteen who wears the same blue faded dress everyday. This wouldn't be a problem if she didn't tell her classmates that she has a hundred dresses, all lined up in her closet. Peggy, the most popular girl, and Maddie, her best friend, "have fun with her." The Dresses Game they called it. Asking Wanda about her hundred dresses, making fun. But Maddie stands by Wanda, feeling sick inside that she's not doing anything about it. Until they realize what they have done, and it's too late.
The Hundred Dresses by Elanor Estes is a wonderful book. It's the classical story about a poor immigrant girl trying to cope with the constant teasing of her peers. It teaches us that we should stand up for what we feel is right. This is one of those books that makes the reader think about how they are treating others and if they are doing something to hurt someone else. I read this book when I was in the third grade, and I must admit that it has a very bittersweet ending. I loved how Elanor Estes spoke about Wanda, because she didn't write everything from her point of view. The author wrote tidbits about how the other characters were feeling, especially how Maddie, feels towards the teasing of Wanda and what happens toward the end of the book. The message in the story is very clear to young readers and I recommend it to those who are searching for a timeless tale.
"A hundred dresses?" they said. "Nobody could have a hundred dresses."
"I have though."
Wanda Petronski. A quiet student in room thirteen who wears the same blue faded dress everyday. This wouldn't be a problem if she didn't tell her classmates that she has a hundred dresses, all lined up in her closet. Peggy, the most popular girl, and Maddie, her best friend, "have fun with her." The Dresses Game they called it. Asking Wanda about her hundred dresses, making fun. But Maddie stands by Wanda, feeling sick inside that she's not doing anything about it. Until they realize what they have done, and it's too late.
The Hundred Dresses by Elanor Estes is a wonderful book. It's the classical story about a poor immigrant girl trying to cope with the constant teasing of her peers. It teaches us that we should stand up for what we feel is right. This is one of those books that makes the reader think about how they are treating others and if they are doing something to hurt someone else. I read this book when I was in the third grade, and I must admit that it has a very bittersweet ending. I loved how Elanor Estes spoke about Wanda, because she didn't write everything from her point of view. The author wrote tidbits about how the other characters were feeling, especially how Maddie, feels towards the teasing of Wanda and what happens toward the end of the book. The message in the story is very clear to young readers and I recommend it to those who are searching for a timeless tale.
reviewed by goonball on November 26, 2006 7:24 PM
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I bought this book to read with my Girl Scout Brownie troop, ages 7-9 years. The girls enjoyed the story very much. It facilatated a discussion on how to be a good friend. I would recommend this book to all girls of elementary school age.
reviewed by freedrink on November 27, 2006 8:09 AM
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I read this when I was really young and it had a serious impact on my life and the way I treated others. This is a short book meant for kids who are under 12 years old but it's equally powerful even for adults and carries a strong message. I have met a lot of catty, shallow women and girls in my life (no names here) who should read this book. It has a very good lesson about kindness, not judging others and standing up for what is right. It's a sad story with a bittersweet ending. Though I wished the ending had more closure, the message is still strong and I would not change the story. I think kids will learn a great deal from this story, things like: Don't judge others on how they look or what they have. Be kind to people because you never know when they will be gone. Don't say anything to anyone that you may regret later. Above all, never underestemate people's talent or brains. This story is old but timeless!
reviewed by maxmill on November 27, 2006 2:09 PM
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First off, I want to start with saying that this book is not about lying but the hazards of peer pressure and teasing. Wanda Pertoniski was different and because of this she suffered the indignities of being teased and ostracized from any real normal life. She was an easy target for the more popular and socially acceptable girls of her school. Wanda was quite and reserved, never really stood up for herself. One day she announced to all that heard that she had a hundred of the most beautiful dresses in her closet at home. The reality of it was that while she did have dresses in her closet they were not in actuality real. They were pictures that she had created. To take this as a lie is not properly correct.
THE HUNDRED DRESSES deals with more far reaching issues than that of lying. Yes, Wanda did claim that she had hundred dresses in her closet when the reality was that she only had the one dress that she wore every single day to school. What she said may not have been correct in the "I have hundred actual dresses in my closet" sense but the reality was that the dresses were actually pictures of dresses.
This book is about a young girl who had no friends and got teased on a regular basis by the same people that she looked to as friends. She tried so desperately to fit in, to become one of the "in crowd." But that failed miserably. What no one seemed to realize that beneath Wanda's awkwardness and differences stood a young girl who could be a good friend and confidant. Wanda didn't judge others for their differences but she, herself, was judged for what was perceived to be different.
The only problem that I had with Wanda, was not the fact that she lied about her dresses, that is small potatoes when put up against the relentless teasing and ostracism of her fellow students. What really irked me about Wanda was that she never really stood up for herself. All that she had to say was stop. If that didn't work she could of brought up her own differences in a joking manner. Instead she stood there and took the abuse. Wanda did not have a backbone and when things got too tough she and her family moved to a city where everyone was different and talked funny and no names were of that of the funny variety.
I found this book to be a good read for children of all ages. The only problem that I found with it that Peggy, Maddie, and Wanda never really got to settle their conflict. Sure they wrote letters to each other but that isn't as good as a face-to-face confrontation with Peggy and Maddie telling Wanda that their sorry for all the pain that they caused her, and Wanda forgiving. Letters are good but sometimes you can't find the right words to express what you are truly feeling.
THE HUNDRED DRESSES deals with more far reaching issues than that of lying. Yes, Wanda did claim that she had hundred dresses in her closet when the reality was that she only had the one dress that she wore every single day to school. What she said may not have been correct in the "I have hundred actual dresses in my closet" sense but the reality was that the dresses were actually pictures of dresses.
This book is about a young girl who had no friends and got teased on a regular basis by the same people that she looked to as friends. She tried so desperately to fit in, to become one of the "in crowd." But that failed miserably. What no one seemed to realize that beneath Wanda's awkwardness and differences stood a young girl who could be a good friend and confidant. Wanda didn't judge others for their differences but she, herself, was judged for what was perceived to be different.
The only problem that I had with Wanda, was not the fact that she lied about her dresses, that is small potatoes when put up against the relentless teasing and ostracism of her fellow students. What really irked me about Wanda was that she never really stood up for herself. All that she had to say was stop. If that didn't work she could of brought up her own differences in a joking manner. Instead she stood there and took the abuse. Wanda did not have a backbone and when things got too tough she and her family moved to a city where everyone was different and talked funny and no names were of that of the funny variety.
I found this book to be a good read for children of all ages. The only problem that I found with it that Peggy, Maddie, and Wanda never really got to settle their conflict. Sure they wrote letters to each other but that isn't as good as a face-to-face confrontation with Peggy and Maddie telling Wanda that their sorry for all the pain that they caused her, and Wanda forgiving. Letters are good but sometimes you can't find the right words to express what you are truly feeling.
reviewed by john316 on November 28, 2006 5:06 PM