The Pink Dress

by Anne Alexander

A dab of perfume, a new pink dress and Sue is transformed into the heroine of a dream. But the dream of romance with popular Dave Young soon turns into a nightmare of juvenile delinquency when Dave, resentful of his stepmother and her pregnancy, becomes rebellious, involving Sue in thrill stealing, blatantly ignoring the authority of his parents and parents in general. David's rebellion becomes Sue's crisis as with love and sympathy she leads him toward a normal acceptance of family life.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Teen, Romance

214 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1959

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't normally give out five star ratings and this one is really given more out of nostalgia than anything else. It's what my 12 year old self would have rated this book back in the day so on this day, I feel I must listen to her heart.

I used to love this book back when I was 11 or 12 years old. I checked it out from my school library multiple times so I could read it over and over and over again. It stuck with me and over the years I would occasionally look to see if I could find it and read it again. Unfortunately, it had been out of print for a long time, originally published in the 50s and already several decades old when I read it as a girl, and existing copies were very expensive. Recently though I was remembering it again, looked it up and found to my delight that they had finally issued a reprint. My opinions of it are certainly different now - both as an adult and a mother now myself - but for a brief time I was back in my own childhood again as I read about how 14 year old Sue Stevens' life is turned on its side the night she attends her school's Peppermint Prom and Dave Young, the coolest boy in junior high, asks her to dance.
The book is definitely a product of the 50s with some of its mindset (girls don't call boys because it cheapens them, lol), but it was a nice trip down memory lane.

I'm going to give it to my 11 year old daughter to read now, see what she thinks of it. :-)

Though it has a new cover, I rather prefer the old one: . It's more period appropriate.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rejoice! It's being reissued in January 2016! Better yet, you can get it on your Kindle *now* for 9.99! Isn't that swell!

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best Christmas gift ever!!! My daughter remembered me talking about reading this book when I was "oh so young" and found it on ebay. Surprisingly, she discovered it is one of the most searched for books the last few years. The Pink Dress was published in 1959, and I must have read it soon after that. What fun to revisit a time when things seemed so simple in some respects - stay-at-home Moms, Dads who arrived home from work at the same time every evening for family dinner, and one telephone located in the hall or kitchen! And some adolescent dilemmas repeat themselves each generation - what do you do when you are invited into the flashy "in" crowd forcing you to leave your friends behind? All that glitters is NOT gold! Parties were held in the "rumpus room" where you danced to records, and "hoodlums" were not invited. Sweet story, sweet memories!

[Janet Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout my childhood, my mom would tell me about a book that she read growing up in Korea that left such an impact that she dreamed of living in America someday and for her children to attend the “Peppermint Prom.”

My mother and father did end up in America- raising my brother and me, and I never missed a school dance!

Fast forward into my adulthood- my mom and I finally found the book she had read those many years ago! The Pink Dress by Anne Alexander. No wonder it was hard to find as it doesn’t appear to be printing anymore, but I can’t understand why not! Luckily, we found it on Kindle.

Written in the 1950s, I was surprised by how applicable the story is to today (though you’ll notice some cultural shifts that have happened since then). It is a classic YA though with all the ingredients— sweet heroine, a cute boy who is more complicated than meets the eye, mean girls, misunderstandings that threaten the relationship between heroine and said cute boy. It reminded me of one of my fave YA books- “To all the boys I’ve loved before.”

I loved it! What a sweet book it was to discover after all these years my mom told me about it— literally every time I went to a dance, she’d tell me how she was living out her “Peppermint Prom” dream through me. It was so special getting to read the source of that dream. If I had a daughter, this would be something I’d want to read with her. Sweet story and great life lessons. Took me back to being 15!

[Allison Young]

I cannot believe it, I found a copy within our library system and they got it in for me!!! I rushed over to pick it up and it was really it!!! With the prices I have seen this book selling for, I am SO tempted to keep it-say I lost it-but I can't bear the thought that no one else could share in its wonderful timeless story. I feel like I have the Holy Grail in my possesion!!! I read this in the 6th grade and have never forgotten about it.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Alexander came to my elementary school and read excerpts from her novel. I was so excited. A real author. In my family we worshiped writers. I was allowed to buy a copy of the book, and she autographed it for me. I wish I still had it.

I loved the story about girls and boys and popularity and things like dating. All exciting things to come for a pre-teen. I don't remember it being rife with teenaged angst at all.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must have read this 100 times when I was 10-12 years old. I just found a rare library copy of it--complete with the gorgeous dust cover--on Amazon and treated myself to it. The book smell alone was worth the price! It was as good as I remembered it to be...I learned as much about my own growth as I did Sue's.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't remember how I heard about this book. No doubt through my interest in girl's series books. When I read all of the glowing reviews and looked around and saw how expensive it was, I couldn't justify it but I did put an email alert on eBay so I would be informed whenever one came up for sale. Lo and behold, when one did, and I re-researched it, I saw that it was on Kindle for 9.99. There goes the once justifiably inflated price of another out-of-print book.

I just finished it, and I do see why people love it so. I still prefer Rosamunde du Jardin, whose stories are a little more complex, but this one really drew me in from the very beginning. Although sometimes, I grew very frustrated with how blind Sue was to her so-called friends, when she finally woke up and smelled the coffee, the resolution and climax were very satisfying. It was very realistic to how teens would think and behave back in the '50s and probably even today. They are immature and insecure and very silly sometimes. The book had some surprises regarding her new cool boyfriend, Dave, who had quite a good character arc! In parts, it kind of reminded me of a John Hughes movie, or another favorite teen movie, Can't Buy me Love.

https://rebekahsreadingsandwatchings....

[Kathy Barnett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book I took out of the children's library in Pompton Lakes many times as an elementary school student. I can't even remember the story, except that it was about a girl and pink dress and a party or prom or something like that. What I do remember is that I loved it so much to have read it over and over and over again. I tried to find a copy online for my 10-year-old niece and the best I could come up with was about $300 for used on Amazon and not even in very good condition. I saw one once online for the equivalent of several car payments. :) Someday, I will find this book for my collection - it was published by Doubleday in 1959. If you get a moment, find it on Amazon and read the four reviews there; they're really sweet. :)

Thanks to my friend, Jerry Selwyn, who loaned me this book. I'm currently re-reading it and then my niece will read it. <3

[Kimberly]

My Aunt Leisa told me that this out-of-print book had been a favorite book of hers in her youth. The ratings and reviews suggest that she isn't alone in recalling the book fondly. I thought I'd purchase the book for her as a gift until I found that used copies are several hundred dollars. But I just secured a copy to read through inter-library loan--hurray!

[Jennifer Prim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read and re-read this book a few times in Jr High, always checked out from the library. A year or so ago, I went looking for it, wondering if it held up after all these years of nostalgia. I went to Amazon where I found that it was out of print, although used copies were available for $200-$800. WHAT??! There were also reviews and comments all saying the same thing: treasured book, read over and over, if only they could get their hands on a copy...

Lo and behold, a paperback & kindle edition were released this year, so I grabbed mine and read it. Did it hold up? Well, it was written and set in 1951, was a bit archaic and overly simplistic, but certain parts got me in the gut, and I'll be damned if it wasn't the precursor for Mean Girls. For that alone I gave it 4 stars; and then the pink dress, itself; what girl hasn't felt transformed by a really special outfit? Now what I really want to know is did Tina Fey read The Pink Dress when she was in middle school?? Hmmmmm -inquiring minds....

[Ann Haefele · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book as a preteen and I was lucky to receive a copy as a retirement gift from my fellow school librarians as it is a difficult out of print book to find. I enjoyed it just as much reading it as an adult. The message is timeless about teens trying to be part of the "cool" crowd and the story still touched my heart. It was interesting to see how times have changed since it was written in the late 1950s. As an example, Susan, the main character, goes to the hospital for an appendectomy and stays in the hospital for four days! Thanks to my colleagues for allowing me to revisit a book that meant so much to me many years ago.

[Jacqueline Giedzinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was fun reading a book that my mom read and loved as a teenager. My mom told me stories about how she would rush to her school library to check it out, and how disappointed she was when she learned it had been checked out. As an adult, she searched and searched for the book, only to find out it was no longer in print. I also tried to find it, but to no avail. One day, my mother called me (while I was in court) to tell me she had found THE PINK DRESS for kindle, and she was going to buy it! She was so excited! I'm happy to have finally read the book my mother raved about. It was sweet.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book numerous times in junior high and I absolutely loved it. I have thought of this book many times since then, it has always stood out in my mind. A real coming of age novel, and I remember thinking how amazing this girl Sue was. If only I could get my hands on a copy of this now, I would absolutely love to read it again & have my own copy. They are hard to find and the ones that are out there are selling for as much as $1,200 on ebay and Amazon.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean to read this one again someday. I read "The Pink Dress" as an adolescent and remember it to this day not because I owned it - it was a library book - but because it enchanted me. Amazingly I even remembered the author's name. I really must read it again.

[Willi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was just 12 years old.It was my first real romance book.Kind of like what the movie "16 Candles" was to my eldest daughter.This was one of the first books I read thru the night until i finished.Sooooo good. I hear it is now very rare and costs like $250.00 for a used copy.

[Author G D Grace]

An older gentleman told me he was friends with the author of this book. It's going for $1,199.00 on Amazon. When he told me the going price for it, I had to see it for myself. Well, he was right. It has to be some sort of collectors item.

[MaryBeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so sad that this book is unavailable for less than $800! I wish it could be reprinted. Absolutely my favorite book from my childhood. I think I first read it in 6th grade and like many others checked it out of my school library over and over again.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in sixth grade. I would have described it as edgy. It was my first YA novel.

When I was in grad school, I did an ILL and re-read it. My memory was correct. I was a very sheltered oldest child!

[Rebecca Martell · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting book that perfectly captures the social chaos of adolescence. Romance, blended family, friend and school pressure, teen "gangs"-- surprisingly, this book has them all! A great read, even today-- especially today for Gen Z tweens and teens.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

social status teen story

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It really got me started reading when I disliked reading so much as a kid.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Given to me by my mom (my grandma gave it to her when she was 13), this book holds a special place in my heart.....innocent and sweet.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in junior high school and have never forgotten about it.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Rebecca Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this book 5 stars because my 12 year old self loved it. I don't remember anything about it except that I have never forgotten how much I liked it. My family traveled across the state of GA on March 7, 1970 to view the total solar eclipse in Savannah, GA. I read the book during that trip. I have never been able to find the book since then. Fun to find it listed on Goodreads.

[MaKenna Nostrom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right now I'm going to tell you a few things that happened in the story. To start out her mother made her a pink dress for her prom. She also joined a new group of friends, that ended up not being the best for her. She got a boyfriend. And she also got really sick, and it ended her up in the hospital.
The character I chose was Susan at the beginning she was a super happy girl. Had lots of friends, liked all of her friends. And then throughout the story she began becoming kinda of a rebel. She joined a bad group of friends, got a boyfriend. Her old good friends began leaving her and bullying her. And by the end of the story she was back with her old group living a happy life.
A couple things I liked about the book is that she goes to a prom. Has good friends. A couple things I dislike is that she has a mean boyfriend that is just not nice to her. I also dislike how her old group of friends is rude to her. Overall this is a very good book!

[Belinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a young girl and it became my favorite book. About 15 years ago, I had a used bookstore locate a copy of it for me to own. I have ready it several times since getting my copy. I love the book and hope my granddaughters will read it.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

I remember loving this book at age 12- found it was very $$ as an out of print book- found it for (only!) $100- so bought it! Very glad I did! Still a sweet, meaningful story about first loves and learning from parents.

[Peggy Dubinsky Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book when I was 12 and still love it! It is finally back in print after many years. It was wonderful to read and enjoy it again. I am so grateful to the author's daughter for making the book available to future generations!