Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book that everyone recommended after I was impressed by DiCamillo’s “Raymie Nightingale”. Her most famous and highly celebrated work, this had much in common with Raymie: a child’s view of life troubled by a broken family, set in the south, finding joy in rich relationships. This was much more a children’s book than Raymie, though, which was definitely young adult. Winn-Dixie lacks the edge, and the rawness of Raymie, instead coating it with a sweeter exterior not unlike the Litmus Lozenges that feature in the book: hard candies that combine flavors of strawberry, rootbeer, and sorrow. This happy story includes unlikely friendships, a gregarious and precocious girl, and the dog Winn-Dixie who actually drives most of the events of the story. This is certainly book I will enjoy reading with my children, containing just enough exposure to open conversations about why Opal’s mother left, why people were scared of Gloria Dump “the witch”, how to approach “pathological fears,” and how people can have troubled pasts without being bad people.
I personally prefer Raymie Nightingale, but this book is definitely “a keeper” and much more accessible for general audiences. I haven’t seen the movie and don’t particularly intend to; the book is masterpiece enough.
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