Module 6: Realistic Fiction (Younger Readers)

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo is the story of 10-year-old Opal who moves to a small town with her father, who is a preacher. She finds a dog, which she names Winn-Dixie after the grocery store where she finds him, and they make friends with the people in town.  I thought this story was very sweet and poignant. She learns the stories of the people she meets and brings them together in the end. She also learns about her mother, who left her when she was young. The characters are interesting and dynamic, and the book is not just a story about a kid and a dog, but about a kid and all of the people around her and how she comes to terms with the absence of her mother. Boys would like this book, but I think it’s a must-read for girls of Opal’s age.

From the author’s Web site:

• India Opal Buloni, 10, finds a big, ugly, funny dog in the produce department of a Winn-Dixie grocery store. She names him accordingly and takes him home to meet her father, a preacher. Her daddy has always told her to help those less fortunate, and surely Winn-Dixie is in need of a friend. Opal needs one, too. Since moving to Naomi, FL, she has been lonely and has been missing her mother more than usual. When she asks her father to tell her 10 things about her mother, who left the family when Opal was three, she learns that they both have red hair, freckles, and swift running ability. And, like her mother, Opal likes stories. She collects tales to tell her mother, hoping that she'll have a chance to share them with her one day. These stories are lovingly offered one after another as rare and polished gems and are sure to touch readers' hearts. They are told in the voice of this likable Southern girl as she relates her day-to-day adventures in her new town with her beloved dog. Do libraries need another girl-and-her-dog story? Absolutely, if the protagonist is as spirited and endearing as Opal and the dog as lovable and charming as Winn-Dixie. This well-crafted, realistic, and heartwarming story will be read and reread as a new favorite deserving a long-term place on library shelves. —Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego, School Library Journal

• Although she lives in the Friendly Corners Trailer Park, ten-year-old Opal has no friends. She and her preacher father have moved to Naomi Florida for her father's new job. Here, on an errand to the local grocery store, Opal acquires a unique friend, a large brown stray that she names for the store Winn-Dixie. The dog proves to have exquisite taste in people; Winn-Dixie charms his way into everyone's heart. 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. —Kemie Nix, Parents Choice

The idea I have to use this book in a library setting would be to have kids read the book, list ten things about Opal, like Opal’s father listed ten things about her mother, and let their list be their ticket to see the movie at the library. I would use the food from the book as refreshments during the movie.