Author: Eleanor Estes
Illustrator: Louis Slobodkin
Genre: Chapter Book
Sub genre: realistic fiction
Theme: lying, moral dilemmas of childhood, bullying
Primary and secondary characters: Wanda Petronski
Awards: Newberry Honor Book
Publication Date: 2004
Publishing Company: Sandpiper
This book follows a poor young Polish girl name Wanda and her battle with bullying. Wanda is so poor that she cannot afford anymore than one raged blue dress. Instead of just getting the embarrassment of having no other clothes, Wanda tries to make herself sound big by telling a lie to the class. She tells them that she has 100 dress in her closet at home of all different colors and materials. After this the popular girls in the school constantly tease her about her 100 dresses until she simply cannot handle it any longer. When Wanda does not return to school for several days, some students begin to wonder where she is at. The teacher receives a note from her father that says that because of all the teasing they would have to move to a different location and she would not me attending the school anymore. A young girl named Maddie who never teased Wanda feels terrible that she did not stand up for her. She struggles with the fact that she could have made a difference in whether or not Wanda was so hurt that she had to change towns.
This book would be great to help teach young students the importance of avoiding rude or hurtful comments. This book would engage younger readers because there are a few illustrations scattered throughout the book.
This book is heartbreaking, yet a great read for any classroom. There is so much diversity in SES in a classroom today. Teachers and students face situations like in this book all the time and people are constantly trying to figure out ways to teach children about such diversity. This book would be perfect to have students analyze diversity in the classroom and how they as students should address it.
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