The #1 New York Times bestseller and beloved classic includes an afterword from the author.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. “This book is (I hope) a hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South,” Kate DiCamillo said of her best-selling debut novel, which has been awarded a Newbery Honor, translated into nearly thirty languages, and turned into a major motion picture. The story of a preacher’s daughter named Opal whose life is transformed by a scruffy dog named Winn-Dixie continues to touch the hearts of readers of all ages.
Kate DiCamillo says of writing BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, "I was living in an apartment where no dogs were allowed. As a result, I was suffering from a serious case of 'dog withdrawal.' One night, before I went to sleep, I heard this little girl's voice (with a Southern accent) say, 'I have a dog named Winn-Dixie.' When I woke up the next morning, the voice was still talking, and I started writing down what India Opal Buloni was telling me. The book is (I hope) a hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South."
"Take one disarmingly
engaging protagonist and put her in the company of a tenderly rendered canine and you've got yourself a recipe for the best kind of down-home literary treat. Kate DiCamillo's voice in Because of Winn-Dixie should carry from the steamy, sultry pockets of Florida clear across the miles to
enchant young readers everywhere." — Karen Hesse, author of the Newbery-award winner Out of the Dust
“Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow, and hope. And it's funny, too.
A real gem.”
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Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“
[E]xquisitely crafted first novel. Each chapter possesses an arc of its own and reads almost like a short story in its completeness; yet the chapters add up to much more than a sum of their parts . . . This
bittersweet tale of contemporary life in a small Southern town will hold readers rapt.”
–Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A
gentle book about good people coming together to combat lonliness and heartache--with a little canine assistance.”
– The Horn Book “This well-crafted, realistic, and
heartwarming story will be read and reread as a new favorite deserving a long-term place on library shelves.”
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School Library Journal (starred review)
“
Poignant and delicately told.” –
The New York Times Book Review
“The books' truthfulness is what makes it so
powerful. People can identify with the fact that everyone sort of isolates themselves because of a misconnection or a loss or whatever is in their lives.”
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Newsday
“It's the kind of book people love and tell their friends to read.”
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Washington Post
“An
enchanting little book with a touch of magic, a cast of great characters, and a lot of real life and wisdom.”
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Star Tribune
“Both kids and grown-ups love it . . . it's a great read-aloud book . . . it has scooped up numerous awards . . . it's an
unforgettable story about making friends.”
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Orlando Sentinel
