When ten-year-old India Opal Buloni moves to Naomi, Florida, with her preacher father, she doesn't know what to expect. She is lonely at first--that is until she meets Winn-Dixie, a stray dog who helps her make some unusual friends. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal begins to let go of some of her sadness and finds she has a whole lot to be thankful for.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: A little book with a lot of heart Comment: Because of Winn-Dixie (Candlewick, 2004), is the story of India Opal, a little girl who meets a dog in the produce department at the grocery store. She takes the dog home and names him Winn-Dixie after the store where they met. From the start, it is obvious that Winn-Dixie is an exceptional dog. He greets people with a smile and catches a quick-moving mouse without harming him. Soon, Winn-Dixie is attending church services led by Opal's father, the preacher. The dog becomes Opal's closest confidant. She talks to him about missing her mother, who left her and her father when she was just a baby. Winn-Dixie has one flaw, however. He is scared of thunder. One day during a party, he disappears. Opal and her father go searching for him, but instead find something much more valuable: that good friends and a strong bond between father and daughter make up a full family. A quick read for middle-graders, this Newberry Honor book will warm your heart. Customer Rating: Summary: Charming! Comment: I know I read this book when I was younger and wasn't a fan. Somehow, between now and then, I've grown to like it. India Opal's voice is a really refreshing one, and I just love the typical precocious ten-year-old. The bonds she creates are amazingly strong for a girl of her age, and the depth of her thinking astounds me. Sure, the character might be a little unrealistic, but I still love her. The book is an easy read, not many long words, it mostly consists of simplistic sentences, but it's filled with really strong ideas (one that particularly stands out to me is Gloria's statement, "I believe, sometimes, that the whole world has an aching heart" (134). The idea of the Littmus Lozenges to a child just seems like candy, but reading this when I'm older, I am astounded (in a good way, certainly) by the very open discussion of sadness and loss in a children's book, instead of trying to "shield" children from it. Lots of kids now have nontraditional families, and this book helps explain those, while at the same time clarifying that it's still a family. I love the appeal both to children and older readers, and the very different meanings to the story that can be found. It can be just a story about a girl and her dog, or it can be a significantly deeper story about a girl, her dog, loss and discovery. Customer Rating: Summary: Man's Best Friend Comment: I think other kids would like "Because of Winn-Dixie" because it's funny and realistic. I think the characters are believable because they acted and made friends like they were real. I thought the book was fun because you got to see other kids make new friends. A funny part of the story was when the dog was singing along with the choir. The dog in the story was scared when a thunderstorm hit.
I liked the ending because they lost something important which was sad, but it turned out happy at the very end. My favorite part of the book was the ending because all the characters were happy.
Angel Moulton, age 9 Customer Rating: Summary: how a stray dog wins friends and influeces people Comment: Name your dog Albertsons because you found him there?
A lonely little girl finds a stray dog who can smile.
This preacher's daughter has been to India ( was named after it), but lost her mother very early.
Sadness and loneliness give way to new friends and
good times as Winn-Dixie wins friends her in the Florida summer.
The book is well written and a heart string plucker.
Most children and grandparents should enjoy the stories here. Customer Rating: Summary: Because of Winn Dixie Comment: This is an excellent book to be read to prereaders and for early readers on up to adults. Ms Dicamillo has another book 'The Tales of Desperaux' that is fantastic and will be a full length animated feature motion picture being released on December 19th.
