Because of Winn-Dixie

DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. New York, New York: Scholastic.

Brief Annotation: Ten year old India (Opal) Buloni, just moved to Naomi, Florida. Her dad is a preacher and connects to many in his congregation, but not to his own daughter. Her mother left her when she was young and Opal finds herself with the struggle of an empty heart. Opal went on an errand to the Winn-Dixie store, not realizing her life would change from that moment on. A lost dog, full of filth found his way into the Winn-Dixie store a minute before Opal walked in. Opal fell in love with this dog because he reminded her of herself; lost and heartbroken. Opal claimed the dog hers, even though it wasn’t and went home to show her father her new friend. Together the two of them, Opal and Winn-Dixie, make friends in this small town and together they refill their empty hearts. Follow along as Opal and Winn-Dixie discover each other and the people of Naomi, Florida.

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Grade Level: 2-4

Readers who will like this: Readers who enjoy a heart-felt story of learning about oneself and finding what you have been missing all along. Readers who enjoy the bonds of friendship, no matter how different they may be.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4. Loved this book. It keeps you wanting more for every character that you meet.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What do you think loneliness means? How do you think it feels to be lonely?

Reading Strategies Connection: Hot Seat (Tompkins, pg. 48). This is a role-playing activity the builds on the student’s comprehension of the story and character the portraying. Students will pick a character from the book that they want to become. They will then sit in the “hot seat” while the other classmates will interview them. They can become as creative as the want like dressing as they see their character might dress like. This deepens the understanding of the story by both the student in the role and the students doing the interviews.