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Nov 18, 2014mmcbeth29 rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
This book was first published in 1944. It is about a Polish girl who tries to become part of the "in" girl crowd by boasting that she has 100 dresses at home. The girls poke fun of her daily by asking how many dresses, shoes, hats, etc. she has each day. One day, the girl, Wanda, does not show up for school. A few days later, the schoolroom walls are covered in 100 pictures of dress, Wanda's 100 dresses. The children exclaim over their beauty. But then the children find out that Wanda's family has left town because they are tired of being made fun of for being Polish. Maddie, one of the little girls feels bad about how she treated Wanda and wishes she could make it up to her. She writes a letter to Wanda. In the end, Wanda writes back saying two of the girls could keep one of her drawings. First, this book would now be considered historical fiction because of the time period (1940s) that it depicts. The language and the behavior of the children is more typical of that time period. The story does a good job of showing how hurtful prejudice can be. However, the ending is incomplete. The little girl, Maddie, who feels bad about her behavior does not show that she has changed other than to say how happy she is that Wanda gave her one of the drawings of a dress. Also, this book is advertized for grades 1 and up. This is too young an age to fully understand this book. I would recommend it for grades 3-5 especially since it is written on the fourth grade level.