Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo (Book Summary and Review) - Minute Book Report

This is a story about a red-haired girl named
India Opal who moves to Naomi, Florida with her father, the preacher. Opal is quiet and
shy, often wondering why her mother has left them, while her father is absorbed in his
work, preparing his weekly sermons. While shopping in a grocery store, Opal meets
a wild dog and claims him as her pet, naming him Winn-Dixie after the grocery store. Opal brings Winn-Dixie home and introduces
him to her father.

The dog becomes a member of the family and they soon learn that Winn-Dixie
can't be left alone. Because Opal is new in town, she hasn't made
a lot of friends. She spends most of her time in the library, listening to the librarian,
Ms. Franny, tell stories.

Opal meets and befriends an old lady named
Gloria, who the local kids have nicknamed "The Witch." Gloria is nearly blind, but has
a good heart. Opal then becomes friends with Otis, a musician
and ex-con who works at the local pet shop. She offers to work in the store if he will
sell her a collar and leash for Winn-Dixie. Opal and Gloria plan a party with sandwiches
and punch.

All of Opal's new friends are invited, including a pair of boys that tease her and
a couple of other girls. During the party, it begins to rain and so
everyone is forced into the house. Then Opal notices that Winn-Dixie is gone. Opal and
her father search for the dog in the rain and can't find him.

In the end, they return to the house and find
that Winn-Dixie is with everyone, listening to music and enjoying the party. Initially, readers can recognize the distance
between Opal and her parents, which sets the tone for a somewhat lonely novel. Opal is
separated physically from her mother, but emotionally from her father, referring to
him as "preacher" rather than father or dad. Furthermore, sadness is a major theme in this
story.

Opal often wonders why her mother left. And it's this sadness that is eventually uprooted
at the end when Opal and her father have an intimate discussion while searching for Winn-Dixie.
Even the candy that Ms. Franny shares gives people a taste of melancholy and sadness. Along with sadness, regret is also a theme
in this story.

Each of the characters deals with the past differently. For Opal, she tells
the story of her mother to others to deal with the pain she feels inside. For Gloria,
she decorates a tree with old alcohol bottles to remind her of her past struggles with drinking.
And for Opal's father, he often internalizes his pain, pushing harder into his work. But this sadness and regret leads to the message
of this story: Love while you can and when that object of affection is gone, it's time
to move on.

And while this message does have a negative connotation, it also reminds readers
to take advantage of the time to love right now, because it might be taken away at any
moment..