by Kate DiCamillo
Recommended Age: 10+
This Newbery Honor Book from the year 2000 was recently made into a movie, which I still haven’t seen (oops), but if you’re like me, you got the impression from the previews that the movie is about a dog named after a supermarket chain, a dog that charms its way into the hearts of a variety of people not only because it seems to understand what people are saying, but also because it can actually smile. And if you got that impression, you would be correct.

And Winn-Dixie, as the dog is called, proves to be very good company. Cheerful, sociable, multi-talented (he can catch a mouse without killing it), Winn-Dixie helps Opal build friendships with an assortment of people, like the elderly town librarian, a guitar-playing ex-convict who works in a pet store, a half-blind lady who is considered a witch by local children, and several children that Opal would never have tried to make friends with otherwise.

This is a delightful, warm little story, full of humor and hope and sensitivity. It’s all about being open to the possibility of finding friendship in unexpected places, the need to let go of people who are gone, the sweetness of shared sadness, and the power of kindness. Also, it has a nifty punch recipe in it.
1 comment:
This was a wonderful story to read to my third grade students. (I showed the video after reading it.) Many of my students asked to borrow it so they could read it again.
Riyanna
Shocked at Painful Taint Cure
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