Book Report: BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE

This book is called BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE, written by Kate Dicamillo. One of the main lessons this book is: Never judge people and you will find that more and more people want to befriend you. It is about a girl named India Opal Buloni and her dad is a preacher. India goes to a grocery store named the Winn- Dixie grocery store one day searching for macaroni and cheese but instead comes back with a dog. The manager got really angry with this dog and is about to call the animal shelter people when India wants to rescue the dog and claims that he is her dog. India wants to save this dog because India is the preacher’s daughter and she cares about other people. She names him Winn Dixie. Winn Dixie is in need of a home and so the preacher agrees to keep him. As India washes Winn Dixie, she talks to him about the similarities they have which are: that they both don’t have a momma and then suddenly when she mentions her momma, Winn Dixie gives her his dog smile and India feels like he is urging her to ask about her momma to the preacher. Winn Dixie’s situation makes India remember her momma because he is a stray dog without a home and family. India’s momma ran away because she couldn’t stand being judged about everything. India is without her mother and doesn’t even know how her mother looks! India wanted to know things about her mother because if her mother ever came back she wants to hug her real tight and never let her go again. The preacher agrees to tell India 10 things about her momma for each year India has been alive. India writes it down and starts to go to sleep when she figures out that Winn Dixie has a pathological fear of thunder! India tries to calm Winn Dixie the down and then cuddles him while going to sleep. The very next day, India takes Winn Dixie inside the church and he surprises everybody by catching a mouse. After the church experience, India is certain that Winn Dixie is a special dog and takes him to the library but unfortunately has to put him outside due to the library rules. Ever since India moved to Naomi, Florida she has made no friends but then finds one. The librarian, Miss Franny Block starts telling a story about her grandfather when sulky Amanda comes and listens to the story too. Miss Franny Block tells the story of her grandfather and war and how her grandfather invented a candy named Littmus Lozenge which tasted of candy and was chewy but also tasted a little bit like sadness. When India was walking Winn Dixie one day, she bumps into Sweetie Pie Thomas, a 5 year old girl, and Winn Dixie attracts Sweetie Pie Thomas. So, she invites India to her birthday party because of Winn Dixie! So in a way, Winn Dixie also helps India in return for what she did for him! India makes friends with a kind lady named Gloria Dump and she helps India organise a party with all her new friends! But suddenly thunder strikes, and Winn Dixie runs into the house and hides under a chair. But India thinks that he has run away and starts to look for Winn Dixie outside and when she is not able to find him Gloria Dump says “You can only love what you have until it is time it goes”. This line means: You can only have something for a time until it wants to leave and go. Suddenly the preacher smiles and reveals a shaking Winn Dixie under a chair! The party continues with jokes and they all have fun and make friends!

What I like about the book is:

• The way the author chose a strange title for this book. She could have chosen: India and her dog, Winn Dixie, The lonely girl, the preacher’s daughter or any of the other titles but, she chose this because India had a companion and ‘Because Of Winn Dixie’ she gets more frineds and family. ‘Because Of Winn Dixie’!
• That there are a lot of lessons in this book such as: you can only love what you have got while you have it but when it is time for it to go, let it go.
• Feel open to anyone even the most ugliest and dirtiest, you never know what might happen
• I liked the way that she described Amanda as ‘pinch-faced’ but then later changed her reaction towards her and is more warm to her
• How the author describes the Littmus Lozenge so well that I felt like eating it!
• I also like the way the author made the text really expressive and fun to read aloud like in one part she says “He stunk. Bad. But already I loved him with all my heart. See how she brings the expression of stopping and then saying it?! Cool! Try saying it aloud yourself and see what I mean.
• The language of the story has interesting grammar but also a specific way to say it, for example: “Hunting will become huntin’”. This shows that this book is set somewhere in America because people there have a unique accent and they use slang a lot (which is pretty cool)!
• In this book, I learnt a new word: Pathological fear which means a fear that is very hard to get rid of! India’s pathological fear is that whoever she loves will go away! That is why  India is so happy when she finds Winn Dixie again.
• I wish that the author wrote one last chapter describing how the mum comes back and how she starts to get used to Winn Dixie and how the preacher starts to spend more time with her and India and the mummy and daughter things that India and her momma do together!

I would give this book a 9 out of 10 rating. 

FIND OUT WHAT I MEAN BY READING "BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE"

You can buy it here on amazon for $3.86