But it's important to point out that bullying like that can also be hugely damaging to a child. After hearing about hate crimes or children that commit suicide because they've been picked on so mercilessly, it's hard to make a huge deal out of a girl who is indirectly teased for saying she has a lot of dresses. It might be worth pointing out that this book doesn't make much of an impression with me (and also with children today) because there are other books and stories about much worse bullying situations. I'm not sure if this is a good thing or not. Though there are some sad moments, in the end everything works out and all are forgiven. There are girls acting like typical girls, it’s an interesting story, and it teaches a lesson that is very common with children even today. The characters aren’t stereotypes or anything, but they also aren’t super unique or unlike any other characters before. Other than Wanda basically disappearing, the book never shows the consequences of the bullies' actions, and it's not clear if the girls truly realize the extent of what they did. On the other hand, I think some of the details about bullying really got glossed over.

That’s not to say that it was a bad book, it was just very predictable. It did have an important message, but it was presented in such a way that it seemed pretty obvious (at least to me) and was teetering on the edge of being preachy. It felt rather simplified and old fashioned. I found this book to be interesting, and I'm not quite sure what to make of it. Eventually Wanda and her family move away to get away from all of the bullying that she and the rest of her family have endured for being different. Because she dresses so poorly the other girls find this hilarious and tease her about it, continually asking about her dresses. The Hundred Dresses is about a poor girl named Wanda who is mostly ignored by her classmates until one day when she tells them that she owns one hundred dresses.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes