Because of Winn-Dixie by: Kate DiCamillo

Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Candlewick
Copyright Date: 2000
Number of Pages: 182
Reading Level: Ages 9-12

Summary:
India Opal Buloni just moved to Naomi, Florida with her dad the preacher. She and her dad live in a trailer park alone; her mom left when she was three. She was lonely and bored, until one day she walked into the grocery store Winn-Dixie to pick things up for her dad and found a dog running around the store wreaking havoc on the shelves of food. Before she knew it she had claimed that the dog was hers and she was taking it home to ask her dad if she could keep it. She called the dog Winn-Dixie when the owner of the store asked for its name, and the name stuck. Winn Dixie obviously belonged to no one because his hair was matted and balding in places and he was skinny. He had an effect on anyone that he was around and so Opal (which is what her dad calls her) had no problem convincing her dad to let her keep him. The story is basically Opal retelling her experiences that summer and so there is a lot that she is thinking about and tells the reader. She is lonely because she is in a new place and she has no friends other than Winn-Dixie. He was an interesting dog, when Opal would talk to him, he seemed to understand everything that she was saying. He could smile with all of his teeth showing, he would laugh when things were funny (which would make him sneeze) and he could make anyone like him. Because of Winn Dixie, she made all sorts of friends that she wouldn't have otherwise.
First, she became closer to her dad. Her dad didn't like talking about her mom at all, but Winn-Dixie helped Opal find the courage to ask her dad to tell her 10 things about her mom. He did, and she cherished those borrowed memories. The next friend was Miss Franny Block, the owner of the small library that was her house. She got to talking to Miss Franny one day about bears (She thought Winn-Dixie was a bear) and they decided that day. The next friend she made was a young man that she worked for at the pet store named Otis, he was an ex-con who went to jail for playing his guitar on the street when the cops told him not to. Every morning he would play his guitar for the pet shop animals and Opal would go to listen with Winn-Dixie. He gave her the job so that she could pay off the leash and collar that she bought for Winn-Dixie. She made another friend named Sweetie Pie, a five year old who invited her to her sixth birthday party. Sweetie Pie loved and wanted a dog just like Winn-Dixie. Without Winn-Dixie, Opal would have never met Gloria Dump a blind woman who was rumored to be a witch by the neighborhood kids. But, one day Winn-Dixie took off running straight into her yard- which looked like a jungle - and Opal found him sitting right next to Gloria Dump and she was feeding him peanut butter. From then on, Opal wen to see Gloria Dump everyday and Opal would tell her stories.
Everything that happened that summer happened because of Winn-Dixie. Opal thought about her mom a lot and used the ten things that her dad told her about her mom to tell other people about her mom. There were three other neighborhood kids that Opal didn't like for a long time but she was encouraged by her new friends to get to know them. Amanda was one, Opal thought she was mean and stuck up until Gloria told her that Amanda's brother had drown the summer before. The other tow were Dunlap and Stevie, brothers who looked like twins. Opal didn't like them because they would tease her but according to Gloria they were just teasing her to be friends with her. Everyday Opal would go over to Gloria's house and she would read her a chapter out of gone with the wind. That gave her the idea to throw a party with Gloria and invite all her new friends. They planned it together and prepared all the food for it. On the night of the party all of her friends came together and met each other. Right before they began to eat it started pouring on them (they were in Gloria's back yard) and so they ran inside. However, Winn-Dixie, who has a pathological fear of thunderstorms, took off, or so they thought. Opal and her dad ran off to find him. They ran all through their little town but couldn't find him anywhere. Through teary eyes they decided it was time to return to the party. When they got there Otis was playing the guitar and everyone was singing along. She couldn't believe that they could be happy when her dog had run away only to find out, that he was there all along!
She went into Gloria's garden and she had a message to give to her mom. Even though she didn't know enough about her she didn't feel lonely anymore. She had made her friends and she was happy now, and it was all because of Winn-Dixie.

Who would benefit from reading this book/ Who would you recommend this book to?
I would recommend this book to anyone. It is a wonderful, sweet story that I think would touch everyone who reads it.

What problems/ conflicts would this book potentially cause?
It wouldn't be a huge problem, but the dad is a preacher and that could make some people not want to read it because it has some religion in it, but that is a little extreme. The fact that the dad is a preache plays a big part in the story, and the book isn't preachy in any way.

My reaction:
I loved this book. I would like to buy it when I get the chance. Like I said before it was a sweet story and it was a believeable story as well. I got so attached to the dog just like everyone else in the town. I actually cried when I thought he had run away. Not only is the part about the dog sweet, but the relationships that Opal has with her new friends and especially her dad was touching.

Awards:
This is a Newbery Honor Book