Because of Winn-Dixie

By Kate DiCamillo
Rating: 5 stars
Newbery Honor Award
Reviewed by Noelle

This may well be one of my favorite all-time books. India Opal and her preacher father have just moved to Naomi, Florida. 10 year old Opal has no friends and is pretty lonely until she happens to find a stray dog in the Winn-Dixie supermarket. She takes him home and calls him--what else?--Winn-Dixie. As Opal says, everything good that happened that summer happened because of Winn-Dixie. Following her dog's lead, Opal finally manages to make friends, both young and old, and then she brings her misfit band of lonely folks together. Her new friends include a criminal, a witch, a candy-maker's great-granddaughter, a knuckle-sucking 5 year old, some bald-headed babies, and a girl with a permanently pinched up face. Really? you ask. Well, maybe first impressions shouldn't count, and you need to see people for who they really are right now. Opal learns that everyone makes mistakes and that there is a lot of good mixed in with the bad. So pop a Littmus Lozenge in your mouth and curl up with Winn-Dixie. You won't be sorry!