Chapter Book 6

Author	Eleanor Estes
Title	The Hundred Dresses
Illustrator	Louis Slobodkin
Readability Score	Grade level equivalent:  5.0 Lexile Measure: 890L DRA: 34 Guided Reading: O
Genre	Fiction
Subgenre	Realistic Fiction
Theme	This book emphasizes the importance of being respectful toward others.
Primary and Secondary Characters	Wanda Petronski, Peggy, Maddie, Miss Mason, old man Svenson, Jake Petronksi, Cecile
Award(s) date of publication	1944 Newbery Honor
Publishing Company	Harcourt Brace & Company
ISBN Number	0-15-237374-8
Brief Summary	Where was Wanda Petronski?  Everyday Maddie and Peggy wait for Wanda before school to “have fun with her.”  It is soon revealed that the girls’ version of “having fun” with Wanda is teasing her daily about the hundred dresses she claims to have lined up in her closet.  The girls find this proclamation shocking due to the fact that Wanda wears the same blue dress to school each day.  Maddie feels slightly uncomfortable with the teasing, but reassures herself of the game’s innocence since Wanda never cried.  After a drawing contest, Maddie and Peggy find out that Wanda in fact does have 100 drawings of dresses.  Wanda is unable to claim her prize since she is again absent.  While the girls are still fawning over Wanda’s beautiful drawings, their teacher Miss Mason receives a letter from Wanda’s father explaining her absence.  Wanda’s family has moved to escape teasing.  This bothers both Maddie and Peggy, so the girls attempt to find a way to make things up to Wanda.
Picture of book cover
Description of how you would use book with students	I would use this book as part of a character education unit to focus on the importance of showing respect toward others and to caution students against bullying and being “innocent” bystanders.