Friday, May 6, 2011

Because of Winn Dixie

 Because of Winn Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Publisher: Cambridge, Mass. : Candlewick Press, 2000.

Plot Description:
            India Opal Buloni has just moved to Naples, Florida.  She hasn’t made any real friends yet, but she is used to moving because her daddy is a preacher.  Sometimes it’s hard to be the preacher’s daughter, because everyone thinks you’re just going to tattle on them.  But Winn Dixie, the stray dog she found at the grocery store of the same name, is about to change all that.  Winn Dixie quickly becomes her best friend, and becomes her easy ticket to making new friends with his big grin and playful ways.  India is about to find out what real friendship is all about.

Review:
            Because of Winn Dixie is a great book about a girl who is growing up and learning about herself and about the influence one person can make on another’s life. As she makes friends with a few loners around town, the old librarian, the guy who works at the animal shop, and the town ‘witch’, she learns that loneliness is the worst thing that can happen to a person.  She learns that it’s not what people think that matters, that there is good in everyone.  It’s a great book for tweens with fun characters and a good story about a girl and her dog. 

Genre: Realistic Ficiton

Reading level: 4-5th Grade

Similar Books: The Higher Power of Lucky

Reader’s Advisory:
Personal thoughts- really cute book about misfits banding together
Subjects/themes- Dogs, Friendship, Family
Awards- Newbery Honor Book
Character names/descriptions-
            India- a young girl who wants to know her mother who ran away when she was young
            Miss Franny Block- the town librarian
            Gloria Dump- the town witch, tells India about making amends
Otis- works at the pet store
Annotation: Sometimes it takes a dog to make things right.

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