Because of Winn-Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2009) Because of winn-dixie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Read on June 9, 2012. 

This 2001 Newbery Award winning book is one of my all time favorites. It's about a girl, India Opal Baloney, who has moved with her father, The Preacher, down to Naomi, Florida. Opal befriends a dog who is wreaking havoc on the manager of their local Winn-Dixie. Once "Winn-Dixie" gets a bath and some food in his belly, he becomes a respectable member of the Baloney family, aside from his pathological fear of thunderstorms.

During summer break, Winn-Dixie helps Opal make new friends, even though she doesn't even realize that they are becoming friends. There's "pinch faced" Amanda Wilkinson who only appears pinch faced because she's hiding the secret that her brother had recently drowned in a pool. Stevie and Dewey Dunlap hesitantly become friends with Opal and ultimately teach her not to judge people by how they look. Because of the Dunlap boys, Opal is introduced to Ms. Gloria Dump. Gloria is the neighborhood "witch"who helps Opal realize that she ultimately needs to forgive her momma for drinking and leaving the family because we all make mistakes. Like every single one of us, Opal judged these people before really getting to know them. She thought they were mean, stuck up, or even a criminal but once she got to know each of them, she found that they all had secrets, just like she did.

This contemporary, realistic fiction book is a fun book to read aloud (Trelease) because the reader begins to take on the voices of each character. When I read aloud to the class, I find myself using a slight accent so that the students realize that Opal is the one telling the story. Sweetie Pie Thomas gets a super sweet, high-pitched voice, while Gloria Dump gets a deep, low, slow voice to represent her age and thoughtfulness. Students often enjoy this book so much, that I hear moans and groans after reading each chapter. While reading, I have students respond by telling me what a good chapter title would be once we've finished a chapter. They really engage in this discussion with each other, agreeing or disagreeing and adding their own thoughts to that of their neighbor. And it's not often that this happens, but I've had a lot of students say that this book is actually better than the movie!