RDG291 post

[Alyson]

Because of Winn Dixie is about a girl named Opal who moves to a new town and finds a dog who she befriends along the way. The theme throughout the book I think is loneliness since Opal is new and has no friends and then decides that the Winn- Dixie would be her friend. She is also lonely in the sense that she lost her mother and refers to her father as "the preacher". The preacher is a more uptight character and does not have a good relationship with Opal, his daughter, towards the end of the book when he finally breaks down over his wife leaving him and Opal. I also think that the book has a good main idea, which is that you never know what struggles someone is going through until you get to know them. Opal and Winn- Dixies journey finds this out when they become friends with a wide range of people. Opal is a very mature kid for her age as she has a lot of older friends that she enjoys hanging out with. Opal also finds out that other kids and people are also going through a hard time like she is. The book shows us that you should be kind to your acquaintances because you never know what someones home life could be like. The book is a good book for children to read because it is a good concept for them to learn. I think that this is a good Book Club book because children can discuss the idea that we need to be nice and respectful to each other. Opal changes and goes as a character through out the book and also makes a better connection to her father. All of the characters have experienced some type of loneliness through out the book, in which they are all brought together at the end, where they are then not so lonely because they all learn that they have each other.