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Because of Winn-Dixie: Summary and book reviews of Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo, plus links to an excerpt from Because of Winn-Dixie and a biography of Kate DiCamillo.
Because of Winn-Dixie
by
Kate DiCamillo
Hardcover: Mar 2000,
184 pages.
Paperback: Sep 2001,
182 pages.
The summer Opal and her father, the preacher,
move to Naomi, Florida, Opal goes into the Winn-Dixie supermarket--and comes
out with a dog. A big, ugly, suffering dog with a sterling sense of humor. A
dog she dubs Winn-Dixie. Because of Winn-Dixie, the preacher tells Opal ten
things about her absent mother, one for each year Opal has been alive.
Winn-Dixie is better at making friends than anyone Opal has ever known, and
together they meet the local librarian, Miss Franny Block, who once fought
off a bear with a copy of War and Peace. They meet Gloria Dump, who
is nearly blind but sees with her heart, and Otis, an ex-con who sets the
animals in his pet shop loose after hours, then lulls them with his guitar.
Opal spends all that sweet summer collecting stories about her new friends
and thinking about her mother. But because of Winn-Dixie or perhaps because
she has grown, Opal learns to let go, just a little, and that
friendship--and forgiveness--can sneak up on you like a sudden summer storm.
Recalling the fiction of Harper Lee and Carson McCullers, here is a funny,
poignant, and utterly genuine first novel from a major new talent.
Winner of the 2001 Newbery Honor Award.
Book Reviews
Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow, and hope. And it's funny, too. A real gem.
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
[E]xquisitely crafted first novel. Each chapter possesses an arc of its own and reads almost like a short story in its completeness; yet the chapters add up to much more than a sum of their parts. . . This bittersweet tale of contemporary life in a small Southern town will hold readers rapt.
School Library Journal (starred review)
This well-crafted, realistic, and heartwarming story will be read and reread as a new favorite deserving a long-term place on library shelves.
The Horn Book Guide
A gentle book about good people coming together to combat lonliness and heartache--with a little canine assistance.
Booklist
Take one disarmingly engaging protagonist and put her in the company of a tenderly rendered canine, and you've got yourself a recipe for the best kind of down-home literary treat. Kate DiCamillo's voice in Because of Winn-Dixie should carry from the steamy, sultry pockets of Florida clear across the miles to enchant young readers everywhere.
Parents Choice
A totally lovable dog and likable characters are part of this humorously gentle, warm, enthralling story about all sorts of friendships. The writing is clear, simple and high quality. A 2000 Parents' Choice Gold Award Winner.
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Because of Winn-Dixie
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