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  • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes book cover
  • The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes book cover
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The Hundred Dresses

by Eleanor Estes

A classroom story about teasing and speaking up

$17.50 USD
$29.17 USD $17.50 USD
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Hardcover New

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Print BookCurrently viewing Hardcover $17.50 USD$29.17 USD
Print BookAvailable Paperback $11.94 USD$19.90 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Award recognition

    1945 Newbery Honor Book

    The book received a Newbery Honor in 1945.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A classroom story about teasing and speaking up

Wanda Petronski’s claim that she owns a hundred dresses becomes the focus of her classmates’ ridicule, while the faded blue dress she wears to school each day makes her a target. When Wanda leaves school, Maddie is left reconsidering her own silence and resolving not to stand by when others are mistreated. The story brings together bullying, bystander choices, acceptance, and the responsibility to act with kindness. Its school setting keeps those questions close to everyday interactions among classmates.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Children ages 9–12 interested in school stories about friendship and peer relationships.
  • Young readers exploring bullying, bystander behavior, and speaking up for others.
  • Families or educators seeking a classic children’s story to discuss kindness and acceptance.

Themes

Bullying and ridiculeBystander responsibilityKindness and acceptanceCourage to speak up

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

A 1945 Newbery Honor Book

Eleanor Estes's The Hundred Dresses won a Newbery Honor in 1945 and has never been out of print since. At the heart of the story is Wanda Petronski, a Polish girl in a Connecticut school who is ridiculed by her classmates for wearing the same faded blue dress every day. Wanda claims she has one hundred dresses at home, but everyone knows she doesn't and bullies her mercilessly. The class feels terrible when Wanda is pulled out of the school, but by that time it's too late for apologies. Maddie, one of Wanda's classmates, ultimately decides that she is "never going to stand by and say nothing again." This powerful, timeless story has been reissued with a new letter from the author's daughter Helena Estes, and with the Caldecott artist Louis Slobodkin's original artwork in beautifully restored color.

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Customer reviews

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Malaika Taylor

I highly recommend to for anyone looking for inner clarity

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Thomas DiMassa

Great service and fast service

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Ella

Great shopping experience! The book arrived quickly, was well packaged, and matched the description perfectly. I would definitely shop with you again

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Olivia

Smooth.