Because of Winn-Dixie

kaleb mills - I think this book is sad.The book is sad because Opal lost her mom and don't know anything about her,until Opal's dad told her. Opal about her dad.Opal found a dog in the store named Winn Dixie.So Opal named the dog Winn Dixie, because dog was in the store Winn Dixie. Winn Dixie the dog helped Opal to make friends.Since the dog knew how to smile.At first, the Dewberry boys were not friends with Opal until Winn Dixie helped her.Sweetie pie Thomas was everybody's friend.When Opal met Odis she was surprised.He went to jail but it did not look like it.He was very peaceful.He took care of the animals very well.He let them out and played a song for them.He let them out because he did not want them to feel like they were in jail.He did that because he was once in jail and I bet he did not like it.Opal worked for him to get money to buy a dog collar for Winn Dixie. At the end was the sad part.The town was having a party at Glories Dumps house for a get together.Opal lost winn dixie in the street because,it was a stormy night and it was thunder included. Winn Dixie got scared of the thunder so he ran off.Opal went to find Winn Dixie with her dad. When in the middle of finding Winn Dixie, Opal and her dad had a argument about finding Winn Dixie and about,Opal's mom.They gave up and went back to Glories Dumps house.There they fount Winn Dixie

Starred review from April 9, 2001
DiCamillo's debut novel, a 2001 Newbery Honor Book, percolates with heartfelt emotion and eccentric Southern color as superbly performed by Tony Award–winning actress Jones. Ten-year-old Opal, lonely in the Florida town where she has just moved with her preacher father, instantly takes a shine to a scraggly stray dog she encounters in the local Winn-Dixie supermarket. The pooch, named for their meeting place, becomes a trusted companion with whom Opal can share her thoughts and fears, and her hurt, confused feelings about the mother who left the family when Opal was three. Winn-Dixie is soon helping Opal in other ways, too. The dog's "smile" and sweet temperament act as ice breakers that allow Opal to meet a whole new group of friends who grow to be an unusual extended family. Jones imbues her depiction of Opal with a tone of youthful, hopeful wonder and skillfully transforms her voice to distinguish the other older, life-weathered characters. A Tennessee native, she never sounds hokey as she adopts a Southern accent, and she effortlessly slips into a compelling storytelling rhythm. This is a top-notch treatment of an award-winning tale. Ages 8-up.