Because of Winn-Dixie Reviews

• "Because of Winn-Dixie" READ IT!

  
  By AHCOS5XWXDW24 on 2000-04-23
  As my ten-year-old daughter and I were browsing for new realistic fiction children's books to fulfill a school reading assignment, we, by chance, came across "Because of Winn-Dixie," by Kate DiCamillo. The title of the book (and the fact that it was new) influenced our purchase, but it wasn't until my daughter and I read it that we realized what a treasure we had discovered. Both children and adults will be drawn into the story of India Opal Buloni's tenth summer, when she adopts a big, ugly, but affable dog, Winn-Dixie, named after the Florida grocery store where he was found. India Opal, or Opal for short, is a preacher's daughter with a fairly unusual name. Opal has some major life adjustments to make, after moving with her dad to a trailer in a strange, new town. While trying to break through the seemingly impenetrable shell of her introverted father's feelings, she also has to wrestle with her own sadness, disappointment, and curiosity about her alcohol-abusing mother, who deserted the family when Opal was three years old. Winn-Dixie, a magnificent mutt who, among other talents, can smile with his teeth, is the facilitator of a number of new and sometimes unlikely friendships that Opal establishes over the summer, including one with her father. "Because of Winn-Dixie" acknowledges in is characters their shortcomings and sufferings, but the triumph of this book is how it celebrates friendship, forgiveness, tolerance, and new beginnings. (P.S. You might want to have a handkerchief on hand for some parts.)
  
  

• A charming dog story full of grace and wisdom!

  
  By A3APYWXL54R4R6 on 2001-05-18
  Our elementary school library just acquired two copies of "Because of Winn-Dixie," because of its status as a Newbery Honor book. I gave it to one of our fourth grade teachers to preview. She devoured it, raved about the book and immediately began reading it aloud to her class. Now we have a growing list of students waiting for it on hold.

  Before letting the kids check it out, I read it, and absolutely loved it. The other reviews here give you a good picture of what the book is about. What I liked about "Winn-Dixie" is that it packs a lot of grace and wisdom into an appealing scruffy dog story. For example, when Opal befriends elderly Gloria Dump, she asks her about learning "the most important thing."

  "'It's different for everyone,' she said. 'You find out on your own. But in the meantime, you got to remember, you can't always judge people by the things they done. You got to judge them by what they are doing now.'"

  Quite often in the past few years I've been disappointed by titles that have received the Newbery Medal or Honor. "Because of Winn-Dixie" is a title that genuinely deserves this honor. In my opinion, this Honor book will become a classic, much as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Newbery Honor books of the 1930s and 1940s are still being read today.

  Very rarely do I read a book that I insist my friends and fellow teachers read, or that I'm tempted to buy for many people. "Because of Winn-Dixie" falls into that category.
  
  

• Winn-Dixie is a winner!

  
  By ADGLPOQPQDFNF on 2000-06-02
  Racing through an airport, I spotted this book for sale and purchased it for my 9 year-old. I started reading Winn-Dixie just to get a feel for the story and the next thing I knew, I had finished the book, missed the first hour of the flight and had throughly enjoyed a book I thought was written for children! Needless to say, my daughter enjoyed the book so much that she, her father and her younger sister then read the book aloud together. I plan to read Winn-Dixie aloud to my 8th grade students next fall. Buy this book. It is remarkable and to not read it is to miss a wonderful story by a very talented writer for all ages.
  
  

• Because of an AWESOME BOOK!!!!!!!

  
  By on 2000-10-16
  Because of Winn-Dixie is the best book I've ever read!It is about a girl named India Opal who is new in Naomi Florida who is in desperate need of friends. Opal finds a stray dog at a Winn-Dixie grocery store who is also in need of a friend. Their lives change from that point on. This is a great story about friendship. You'll want to buy a dog after reading this book.
  
  

• Because of Winn-Dixie

  
  By ACV7O2DTPB0OX on 2003-02-12
  Because of Winn-Dixie is a light-hearted story about a young girl named India Opal and the summer that changes her life. This is the summer that she gets her new dog, Winn-Dixie. One day in a Winn-Dixie supermarket, Opal stumbles across this funny looking and acting dog. Kate DiCamillo writes, "It's hard not to fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor". She is certainly right about that. Not only do we as readers come to love and wish we had this dog, but Winn-Dixie seems to attract all sorts of people in the book as well. This dog comes to help Opal meet many friends and to find out some interesting facts about her mother whom left when she was three years old. The friends that India meets are all very unique, yet believable. She becomes great friends with Miss Franny, the librarian whose family invented the sorrow-flavored litmus lozenge, Gloria Dump, who all the local children thought to be a witch, and Otis, the guitar-playing manager of the local pet shop. Through Opal's conversations with these individuals, we gain a lot of insight about their lives and their feelings. Otis tells Opal the story of why he was in prison, Miss Franny tells Opal about how she scared a bear away with a War and Peace novel, and Gloria discusses her ghost-scaring tree with her.
  Overall, Winn-Dixie seems to give Opal that extra bit of courage to make friends in her new town. Kate DiCamillo creates an authentic setting in Naomi, Florida, where the reader can experience the life of Opal the summer she was 10 years old. The book also has several developed themes such as friendship, hope, companionship, and new beginnings, which become apparent to the reader by the end of the story. All these components make Because of Winn-Dixie a book of high literary merit.
  Because of Winn-Dixie has a great story line and allows the reader to really experience the hope and bonds of friendship that this 10-year old girl experiences during the summer that changed her life. Children who like to read books filled with humor and companionship would really enjoy this story of India Opal and her dog.
  
  
• A POIGNANT REMINDER OF THANKFULNESS
  By A3M174IC0VXOS2 on 2001-02-26
  Florida born author Kate DiCamillo has written a thoughtful lesson in thankfulness, and Tony Award-winning actress Cherry Jones has provided it with an understanding voice.

  Ms. Jones, a stage and screen actress, brings ten-year-old India Opal Buloni to affecting life. India is lonely when she moves to a small Florida town with her minister father. She's friendless until she finds a stray dog that she names Winn-Dixie after the supermarket where they found each other.

  Winn-Dixie, she finds, attracts an unusual group whom India befriends. In the process, the young girl adjusts to her new life and discovers all that there is to be thankful for.

  We thank both Kate DiCamillo and Cherry Jones for this reminder.
  
  

• A great book for all ages
  By A39PK2W5JB06S2 on 2000-03-27
  One of the differences in the children's book world is that everyone always asks, "What age is the book good for?" We never ask this of adult books. Here is a book for any age. Anyway, this is a wonderful, warm book about survival and rebuilding. Opal,the young protagonist and her adopted dog, Winn-Dixie, both have to rebuild trust after betrayal. The setting is sultry Florida and the town is Any Small Town in America. The community that Opal discovers and the forgiveness she must extend will captivate all readers to the very end. I would compare this with Dicey's Song and with Clyde Edgerton's prose. I will give this book as a gift to ten year olds and anyone else, of any age, who can read!
  
  
• Classic for 4 to 94
  By A3ORDSPMISWENG on 2003-10-20
  Kate Dicimillo is a master at her work.

  I am a veritably young writer who wants to break into the Children's writers market.
  So I made a point of reading the popular children's literature, not the latest adult romance
  Because of Winn-Dixie is nothing short of being marvelous.
  The writing is like poetry the way it flows. I read this book within two hours, and over that time I couldn't put it down.
  Although a five year old could easily read this simple book, I recommended it to my 82 year-old-grandmother.
  It is a well written story, with wonderfully developed characters, not too long, and beautiful language. There is even suspense.
  The book is written in first person point of view with slight dialect.

  The plot itself is about a lonely ten-year-old girl, India Opal, who recently moved to Southern Florida with her father. Her father is so distant from her, like a turtle who is always in his shell as she describes him, that she calls him "the preacher."
  She lives in a trailer park, and her father is indeed a Baptist Preacher.
  When you discover early on that her mother, a drinker, left home, and left Opal in her father's care, it makes you more sympathetic.

  When India befriends a beat up stray dog, called Winn-Dixie, her life starts to change. "Because of Winn-Dixie" she is making new friends, becoming busy, and getting her father out of his shell.
  Winn-Dixie and Opal decide they want to know ten things about Opal's mother, and the preacher, slowly, tells India Opal about the kind of person her mother was and why she left. Opal misses her mother terribly through the Summer, until she learns something important.

  There is plenty of symbolism and deeper meanings, and I recommend this to kids high school age all the way down to early readers at four and five. It's depiction of the South is great.
  
  

• Because of Winn Dixie
  By on 2003-06-03
  Because of Winn Dixie is a story of a young girl named India Opal Buloni. Opal lives with her father-the preacher- in a trailor park in Naomi, Florida. One day, Opal goes to the grocery store and she finds a big, ugly, dirty dog knocking over all the displays. The store manager asked who's dog it was and Opal told him he was hers. That was how it started. Opal didn't have many friends because she had just moved there, and then she found the dog who she named Winn Dixie, after the grocery store where she found him. She took the dog home and became friends with him. What she liked most about Winn Dixie was the way he could smile at her. Opal started making many new friends because of Winn Dixie. The dog didn't like to be alone so he went everywhere with her and he liked everyone and everyone liked him too. Because of Winn Dixie was an enjoyable book to read. A lot of things changed in Opal's life because of Winn Dixie. I think a lot of people could relate to Opal because a lot of people don't have a lot of friends because they moved and left their friends behind. I reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys adventures and happy endings!
  
  
• READ THIS BOOK!
  By on 2002-05-23
  I rate this book five out of five dogs. Because of Winn-Dixie is a terrific story about as lonely girl, named Opal,and a stray dog, named Winn-Dixie, who change each other's lives. Winn-Dixie helps Opal make friends in her new home, Naomi, Florida. She moved there with her dad, the preacher, when he got a job there. Opal is lonely because her mom left when Opal was three. Because of Winn-Dixie, Opal meets all sorts of new friends. I recommend this book to all people who love dogs. This book is special because it won the Newbery Honor Award in 2001. Winn-Dixie is the first book by the author, Kate DiCamillo, who works in a children's bookstore. I rate this book 5 out of 5 dogs and highly recommend it to all who like great stories about dogs--especially those who don't die at the end of the book!
  
  
• This is one you have to have
  By A3PEOF0GX4EN38 on 2005-03-05
  Kate DiCamillo has become my favorite children's author. In both "The Tale of Despereaux" and "Because of Winn Dixie," the reader finds themselves a young child again. As India Opal Buloni strives to make friends in her new town, you feel like you are on the handlebars of her bike, going along for the ride. She is a sweet and loving little girl with tomboyish ways that will thrill both boys and girls. The story has sad parts and oh so happy parts where the love just leaps off the pages. No child should be without a copy of "Because of Winn Dixie" and I know a few adults who could benefit too.
  
  
• Wonder Dog
  By A28GEIVP5KQMZU on 2002-03-18
  This book is wonderful for `Children of All Ages." It is about 10-year-old India Opal Buloni, new to the town of Naomi, Florida. She adopts a big, ugly, galoot of a stray dog she encounters one day when he has somehow managed to enter her local grocery store to forage for food and wreak havoc in the produce aisle. Guess which store? (That's how he got his name-o)

  I listened to the unabridged audio version while traveling the Upper Midwest (where, unfortunately, we do not have the Winn-Dixie chain but we do have Piggly-Wiggly. Now wouldn't THAT be a mouthful to call your dog home for supper? ;-) The reader, Cherry Jones, is a joy to hear and brings DiCamillo's characters vividly alive. And what a diverse cast of characters it is: Opal and her father, the Preacher at the Open Arms Baptist Church of Naomi; Otis the jailbird pet store man; Gertrude the parrot; the not-so-menacing Dewberry brothers; Gloria Dump; Miss Franny Block; `pinched-face" Amanda Wilkinson; and Sweetie-Pie Thomas.

  Along the way, India Opal and the reader learn life lessons about the errors of pre-judging (prejudice) and that, like Littmus Lozenges, life is sweet with a little melancholy. The Newbery Honor is well-deserved and Ms. Jones' racountment is a delight.
  
  

• Because of Winn-Dixie
  By on 2001-06-12
  It's huge, it's hairy, it's a . . dog named Winn-Dixie. One day a girl named Opal goes to a grocery store for tomatoes, white rice, and macaroni & cheese, but comes back with a dog. Soon Opal finds herself making friends with a librarian, a store owner and a sweet old lady. When Opal reads Gone With the Wind to Gloria Dump (the old lady) she gets a great idea. When Winn-Dixie runs away because of his fear of thunder stores it is up to Opal to find him. I think the author was trying to say don't think you can't do thinks if something is wrong in your life. Because Opal lost her mom and she thought she could not make any friends. But that was only until she found Winn-Dixie. My opinion of the book is it was the best book I have ever read because Opal moved away from her old friends just like I had to. I would recommend this book to the fourth grade reading level and above.
  
  
• An Okay Story, Overly Hyped
  By AU6DIIDZK2OQM on 2007-06-05
  Everything that happens to Opal that summer she moves to a new town seems to be because of her new dog, Winn-Dixie. In fact, Winn-Dixie himself is someting of an accident to her. She found him, a stray, causing a scene in the grocery store and couldn't bear for him to go to the pound. Instead she took him home hoping her preacher father, raising her alone since her mother left them shortly after Opal's birth, would take pity on the dog and let him stay. Her father does, and Opal has her first friend in her new town.
  
  Soon afterward, Winn-Dixie seems to help Opal to make friends all over the place. The librarian likes him and lets him come in to hear her stories with Opal. When Opal doesn't have enough money to buy a collar and leash, she brings Winn-Dixie to the pet store and he keeps her and the manager company while she sweeps the store in exchange for credit. An old woman whom some children say is a witch takes a liking to Winn-Dixie and Opal realizes that she is just lonely and coping with past memories. Perhaps most importantly of all, though, is that Winn-Dixie's presence gives Opal the courage to ask her father about her mother, and he helps her to understand a little better what might have happened between them.
  
  I liked that the characters in this story were so vivid, and that each of them seemed to be fighting off some sort of loneliness or bad feeling, but they all found ways to deal with it. I also liked the relationship Opal had with her father, and the relationship that formed between him and Winn-Dixie. I would have liked to have seen further development of the friendship between Dunlap and Opal. I could see the start of something between them, but I wish I had been able to have seen more of how they would relate to each other.
  
  
• Best Birthday Gift I have ever got.....................!!
  By on 2007-12-05
  It is a very well written and entertaining story. Good book for everybody - not only for animal lovers, but also (and especially) for those who never paid any attention to animals. It is a book for any age. I got it for my birthday and I read it in one gulp, before even the. Another safe bet for any kid's birthday is Why Some Cats are Rascals ( Book 3) by B. Nowiki, or anything by Shel Silverstein.
  
  
  
• As sweet and sorrowful as a Littmus Lozenge
  By A203F9VUBQWIML on 2003-02-19
  Kate Dicamillo has written a little gem of a book. When India Opal moves to Naomi, Florida, she is both motherless and friendless. The story really begins after Opal meets and adopts Winn-Dixie, a mangy but open-hearted dog who has a number of unique talents, including the ability to smile.

  I read this book aloud to my first-grade daughter, and she absolutely loved it. When we finished, she said "No wonder this book has a medal on the cover. I want to read it all over again."

  She laughed at Winn-Dixie and his antics, but she still understood the true message of this story: that even kids can have sadness in their lives, but that knowing sadness sometimes makes life itself sweeter. Opal's sadness is that her mother has left her and her father and is apparently never coming back. Each character in this book has some sorrow all their own, and Winn-Dixie, a dog with a talent for friendship, brings this group of lonely people together and creates, more or less, a family for Opal.

  I can't recommend this book highly enough -- if you are lucky enough to have a daughter in grade school, read this book to her. She will love it. You will too.
  
  

• Outstanding Audiotape Version--don't miss it!!!
  By on 2001-04-14
  My daughter and I recently went to Texas and had a lot of driving to do. We picked up a copy of this audiotape (we already had the book) and were IMMEDIATELY held captive by both the story and the reader. We must have heard the entire unabridged reading at least 10 times before we flew home.

  Our favorite audiotapes include the Harry Potter series (as read by Jim Dale), "The Trolls" read by Julie Hagerty and written by Polly Horvath, and now Cherry Jones' reading of "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo. The story is very accessible, the chapters each contain a story within a story--so that you can stop, do an errand, and come back without having the sense of being lost in the tale. And the reader gives a strong portrayal of each character with different voices and intonation.

  I highly recommend this tape both to those who have already read the book as well as to those who might otherwise miss it--even for non-readers, this is a book that will touch you heart and make you laugh, too. It's about a lonely girl abandoned by her mother, who has moved because of her father's job (he's a preacher who has changed congregations) to another town in Florida.

  The assortment of Southern "characters" she encounters does not disappoint those expecting fairly unusual and/or peculiar types. A dog named after a grocery chain, a pair of oldertwo elderly "eccentrics" befriended by the girl, a guitar-playing convict, and assorted children from her father's church are all set in relief by their stories and their "proximity" to the dog who the girl brings home from the grocery instead of macaroni and cheese.

  It's hard to believe the power of the performance by Cherry Jones which seems so direct and uncomplicated upon first hearing. However, as the number of times I heard the tape increased, I heard new subtleties in the performance with each repetition--the strength of the performance is clearly not accidental. This is one of the finest children's audiotapes we own--and we own quite a lot!!!

  Highly recommended for a broad range of ages as well as both girls and boys.
  
  

• an exuberant story of a girl and her dog
  By A11TECFYGIQGBP on 2000-12-04
  "Because of Winn Dixie", by Kate Dicamillo, was an excellent fictitious, story, with a present time period, about a girl named India Opal Buloni and her dog, Winn Dixie. During India Opal Buloni's first summer in her new town, she adopts a strange sweet, stray dog, called Winn-Dixie, named after the southern grocery store where he is found. India Opal, or Opal for short, is a preacher's daughter. Opal's life severely changes when her father receives a new job, and she has to move to a trailer park in a new town. She struggles with the sadness and curiosity about her alcohol-abusing mother, who she has not seen since she was three years old, when she deserts their family. Winn-Dixie is, a magnificent stray who, among other talents, can grin with a full mouth of teeth. Opal and Winn Dixie establish an outstanding friendship over the summer. Winn Dixie is responsible for the relationship Opal establishes with her father, which has never existed before. Opal learns that friends are kept forever. From reading this story one should learn never to complain. Opal never complains, and she has it pretty hard. This story acknowledges and expresses, friendship, love, forgiveness, tolerance, longing and new beginnings. This book is highly recommended to children 8-15.
  
  
• A short story but an amazing one!
  By A2LLSCCCW1YZGU on 2000-12-04
  The fictional novel, " Because of Winn-Dixie", by Kate DiCamillo is a simple but interesting novel. This book explores the life of a girl named India Opal Buloni. She moved to Naomi, Florida with her father who is a Preacher. They moved after her mother left them both when she was three. When India and her father arrived to Naomi, her father got a job at the Open Arms Baptist Church of Naomi. On a hot summer day the preacher sent India to a local Winn-Dixie to get a couple of necessities and that is where she found her dog, her first best friend. She named the dog Winn-Dixie. From the library to her church, India and Winn-Dixie went everywhere together. In fact, they were inseparable. Initially India didn't have any friends but this proved to be a life-changing summer. Moving to a new place and trying to fit in is hard, but as the summer progressed, she made many different friends. The friends she made included Mrs. Franny Block, a middle-aged woman who owned the Herman W. Block Memorial Library and Amanda Wilkinson, a girl who India would be going to school with in August. Also, she befriended Otis who worked at Gertrude's Pet Shop, Gloria Dump, an elder who lived in Naomi, Sweetie Pie Thomas, a girl who was a couple years younger than India and the two trouble twins, Dunlap and Stevie Dewberry. India made all these friends over the summer all because of Winn-Dixie. DiCamillo wrote this book not just to tell a wonderful story, but to share with the reader that acceptance could brighten anyone's day. I think that anyone who reads this book would learn that everyone needs a friend human and animal alike. I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a touching story that has a heartfelt message. It is a quick read so if you need a short story this one will hit the spot. If you pick this book to read, it will be the highlight of your day!
  
  
• A Great Read- Not for Children Only!
  By A2GFTRM7W9PFZG on 2001-08-11
  I am constantly reminded as I read my children's books, or read their books aloud to them, how wonderful is the arena of children's literature. A humorous story about a young girl rescuing a stray dog from untimely fate of the pound, seems like a simple story. However, the underlying layers of depth that can be found here are amazing and Kate DiCamillo does that just right for me. Her characters, with their quirky natures, seem like people I have known or would like to meet. Her sense of a dog's world is insightful and delightful. The deeper themes of friendship, prejudice, definition of "family", the human animal bond and love-loving what we have while we have it, ring true for all ages and spur us all on to reflect upon our own lives. Because of Winn Dixie is a warm fuzzy, a soft hug, a delightful read surely NOT to be missed.
  
  
• Best Novel I've Read This Season
  By on 2000-06-05
  I am an avid reader of books for young people. This book was a wonderful surprise. I expected a 'nice' read. What a got was a touching, well written novel that I would recommend wholeheartedly to all ages. As a self-proclaimed 'book snob', I don't say these things lightly. Well done!
  
  
• for libr262
  By on 2001-05-12
  Because of Winn-Dixie, the first book by Kate DiCamillo, is a story about a girl and her dog. The book opens with ten-year-old India Opal Buloni and her father, a preacher, having just moved to Naomi, Florida. Opal's mother left when she was little and her father has grown increasingly withdrawn, so Opal feels particularly alone in this new town - until she meets a charming stray dog named Winn-Dixie, who helps her learn about friendship. Opal rescues Winn-Dixie from the irate manager of the Winn-Dixie grocery store (from which he gets his name), and he rescues her from a sense of isolation. Winn-Dixie's unabashed enthusiasm and total acceptance of everyone help Opal meet people and make friends. Together, Winn-Dixie and Opal create a community out of an unlikely group of people. In the end, Opal and the whole cast of characters learn lessons about friendship, openness, and understanding.

  Because of Winn-Dixie is charming and refreshing. The characters are engaging, the language convincing, and the story sweet. The book pays more attention to character than plot, but the story moves along naturally as a winning vehicle for the characters. The book provides a series of vignettes that serve to acquaint the reader with and give insights into the characters and their lives. So effectively are they introduced and described, the reader begins to care about them almost immediately, and Opal is a particularly likable leading lady. Not much direct attention is given to the setting, but the imagery and language successfully conjure the atmosphere of a small southern town. I would highly recommend Because of Winn-Dixie to anyone from intermediate readers to adults. The language and plot are simple enough for third graders, but the story and characters are appealing enough for people of all ages to enjoy.
  
  

• My Stray Dog
  By on 2008-04-07
  Opal is the main character in "Because of Winn-Dixie". She does almost the same thing every day. Opal is very responsible for Winn-Dixie. Opal also is caring and she has red hair and freckles.
  
  At the beginning, she moves from Watley, Florida to Naomi, Florida. When she moves to Naomi she loses all her friends. The only person that she knows is her father, the preacher.
  
  When she finds a stray dog that she names Winn-Dixie, everything changes. She starts making friends. Some of her friends are Otis, Miss Franny, Sweetie Pie Thomas and Gloria Dump. Now, almost every place she goes to she brings Winn-Dixie. Everywhere Opal brings him she makes friends. In the end there is a party and Opal makes friends with the Dewberry boys.
  
  My rating for this book is five stars! I rated this book second behind "Fantastic Mr. Fox". I approve this book for everyone over seven years old. This book made me feel happy and sad at the same time.
  
  
  Anthony Scarangello, 3rd grade (NYC)
  Rating: five stars
  
  
  
  
• A great book that everyone can relate too!
  By on 2007-11-18
  Because of Winn Dixie is one of the best books I have ever read. I can relate to the characters in this story. The story is about a girl who moves to Naomi, Florida with her father who is a preacher. The girl's name is Opal and she makes a trustworthy friend at the Winn Dixie supermarket. Her friend is a stray dog who smiles showing all of his teeth and she decides to name him Winn Dixie.
  
  Opal takes him home to her father and he falls in love with Winn Dixie, too. Winn Dixie helps Opal make a lot of new friends over the summer. Some of Opal's friends are Gloria Dump, Miss Franny Block, Stevie and Dunlap Dewberry, Sweetie Pie Thomas, Amanda Wilkins, and Otis. Winn Dixie also allows Opal and her dad to become closer.
  
  All of the characters in the book have had hard times at some point in their lives but they all survived and become better people. Overall, I learned that everyone needs friends to help him or her get through life!!!!!!
  
  
  
• A good Book
  By on 2006-01-18
  
  This book is a great book. Its filled with adventure ,as a little girl finds her way around her new town. She finds her new best friend in a Winn-dixie supermarket, causing trouble and mischeif a dog also known as mans bestfriend, who helps her make new friends that help her go on with her new life in this new town.
  
  One of the best parts of this book to me was when Winn-Dixie runs off because of the thunder and lightning. The little girls father helps her try to find him but no clues as they search the town. On there way back they catch up on conversation they had never talked about since of litle time they spent together. When they reach the house the little girl says" We didn't find him" to her friends with sad looks on their faces. Then her friend Gloria ,an old lady who is blind, says "well child he's been under the table". In that moment all the children run to the floor to hug Winn- Dixies and cheer.
  
  I would recommend this book to anyone. You get caught up in it and you won't want to put it down. Its a book of friendship , trust , loyalty and a way of telling others you care. If you like a good book of a friendship between human and animal you will love this book. Winn-Dixie brings in new friends and people in to the little girls life. Getting attention by giving a big smile to anyone who will pet him. The dog knows what the girl is feeling and tries to help her out. Thats why I would recommend this book.
  
  
• the best "tail" of the year, Because of Winn Dixie
  By on 2005-05-06
  This story was such a good book. It made me cry, laugh, and really want to read more! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves happy and heartfilled stories. I would read this book over and over again if I could.
  
  I can't believe we finished the story today! i miss reading it already! I wish there was a Winn Dixie ll.
  
  Brooks, age 9
  
  
• One of the Best Books That Has Been Written!!
  By on 2001-03-18
  Because of Winn-Dixie was a great book about friendship. A girl named India (her father called her Opal) was in the grocery store, and came back out with a dog.The dog,Winn-Dixie,has many talents.Opal was new to the town. Winn-Dixie was Opal's first best friend. Together,Opal made many more new friends. All the characters are well put and some are funny. The end is one of my favorite parts. I would recommend Because of Winn-Dixie to any dog lover,like gentle,loving friendship stories, then this is the book for you!!!
  
  
• Really good book!
  By on 2000-12-06
  Because of Winn-Dixie is a really cool book. I enjoyed it because I love dogs. It shows how people and dogs can get along. It is very interesting. Once you start reading it you can't stop. It is a book where you get to chapter 18 before you realize it. Because of Winn-Dixie is one of my favorite books.
  
  
• completely charming
  By A3BWCQ8I080GH7 on 2000-07-10
  Because of Winn-Dixie is a completely charming and satisfying book. India Opal, a young girl with an unusual name, a preacher father and a homely dog named Winn-Dixie moves to a new town and manages to make it her home. Wonderfully memorable characters, the sweet relationship between India and her pooch, and the individual stories that compose each chapter endear this book to the reader. As India tells the story from her perspective, she learns to value herself and enjoy others that are different and new to her. A quick and enjoyable read that will leave a smile on your face.
  
  
• This is a great (x 12) book!
  By A299JNAX3TD4AK on 2000-03-08
  My young friend Sofia Helene Jarvis has pronounced "Because of Winn Dixie" to be a great (repeat 12 times) book.

  From the very first sentence of the book, I was immediately engaged with the charming young protagonist and her dog, Winn Dixie. This book will no doubt become a classic!
  
  

• The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread
• The Tiger Rising
• A Guide for Using Because of Winn-Dixie in the Classroom
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
• Because of Winn-Dixie