Melina Olenberger's Review of "Because of Winn Dixie" By Kate Dicamillo

India Opal Buloni is new to Naomi, Florida.  Between dealing with a mother who abandoned her, a father who is too wrapped up in Preaching at the local church, and not knowing a single soul in this new town, Opal is a very lonely little girl.  As fate would have it, Opal comes across a stray dog while picking up groceries at the local Winn Dixie market.  In a split second, she decides to claim the dog as her own and name it after the store in which they met.  In spite of his rugged appearance, the Preacher welcomes Winn Dixie into their humble trailer park home.

As the story progresses, Winn Dixie helps Opal to meet some interesting people including sweet old librarian, Miss Franny Block, local pet store clerk with a dark past, Otis, pinch faced Amanda Wilkinson, innocent Sweetie Pie Thomas, the menacing Dewberry brothers, and suspected witch Gloria Dump.  Soon enough, Opal discovers that she's not so alone after all.

Because of Winn Dixie is a wonderful text with a message to readers that one should never judge others by their appearance or past actions but rather by who they are in the present moment.  Another underlying theme in this story is forgiveness and redemption.  Through the secondary characters, Opal witnesses forgiveness and redemption first hand.  In the end, Opal learns how to forgive and let go of the past in order to truly appreciate all the blessings of the present moment.

I highly recommend Because of Winn Dixie to middle to upper elementary readers.  Teachers will find that this book is an excellent mentor text for studying character traits and how they can change over time.