Module 7 - Because of Winn-Dixie

 Courtesy of http://www.education.wisc.edu/

Book Summary:   
"Because of Winn-Dixie" is about a young girl, Opal, who was abandoned by her mom and lives with her dad.  Her dad is a preacher who spends most of his time working.  Opal comes across a dog causing havoc in the Winn-Dixie grocery store.  She claims the dog as hers and names him after the store.  She begins meeting individual through out the story who are also lonely  individuals.  She becomes friends with each one and at the end of the story brings everyone together and strengthens her relationship with her father in the process.  It is a tale that deals with compassion, loneliness, and creating friendships. 

APA Reference:
DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of winn-dixie. New York, NY: Scholastic.

My Impressions: 

"Because of Winn-Dixie" is a delightful tale about a little girl trying to fit in.  After saving a dog, she makes friends with people that others shy away from.  She figures all of these friendships she's gaining are due to Winn-dixie and his antics.  They certainly make their mark on the community.  While trying to fit in herself, she ends up bringing each of her friends together to form an unexpected group of friends.  This is definitely is a book most 4th and 5th graders will love.

Professional Reviews:

Because of Winn-Dixie is an exciting book about a 10-year-old girl who goes to a store called Winn-Dixie for mac 'n' cheese. To her surprise, she finds a dog instead and names him after the store. Opal and Winn-Dixie meet loads of people, and the dog helps Opal make the friends she's been missing.

At a party for their new friends, Winn-Dixie goes missing! Will Opal find her dog or never see him again? Kate DiCamillo is an outstanding author, and this is an astonishing book. You have to read it!

Professional Review Reference:

Womack, A. (2008). Because of winn dixie. Storyworks, 15(4), 7.   Retrieved from storyworks.scholastic.com.

Library Uses:
Uses for this book could be numerous.  Many schools at some point in the year will conduct fundraisers for the local animal shelter.  This would be a good book to have students read in aloud in groups in preparation for that fund raiser. Then it could be put in a display with other animal books to promote animal awareness.  Another use for this book would be in a book club.  Our school has book clubs that meet and the groups are made mixed up after each book reading.  Various groupings are according to homelife, social background, reading levels.  This would be a perfect book for reading about children from single parent homes.