Funny and poignant, this novel captures life in a quirky Southern town as Opal and her mangy dog, Winn-Dixie, strike up friendships among the locals.
One summer's day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries - and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It's because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends.
And it's because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.
Because of Winn-Dixie was the winner of a Newbery Honor distinction the year after publication.[2] In 2000, the book won the Josette Frank Award,[3] and in 2003 won the Mark Twain Award.[4]
In 2007 the U.S. National Education Association listed Winn-Dixie as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children", based on an online poll.[5] In 2012 it was ranked number 20 on a list of the top 100 children's novels published by School Library Journal, the first of three books by DiCamillo in the Top 100.[6]
