by Kate DiCamillo
2000
India Opal Buloni (DiCamillo has a fondness for zany names), a
preacher’s daughter newly arrived in town, has trouble dealing with the
empty space left by her mother, who left the family seven years
previously. One day she adopts a stray dog she finds making trouble in a
Winn-Dixie. Having an overly attached, inquisitive dog puts India in
new situations which lead her to meet some interesting townsfolk, like
the good-natured old librarian with plenty of stories, a woman rumored
to be a witch (another DiCamillan name: Gloria Dump), and a
guitar-playing ex-con pet store clerk. Getting to know these complex
characters helps India realize that the “perfect” girl she views from a
distance is also dealing with loss and sadness, and the “bullies” she
verbally spars with are basically friendly kids.
Deceptively
lightweight, it’s a book that deals with deep, important feelings –
friendship, loss, hope, acceptance, and new beginnings – in DiCamillo’s
usual minimalist prose. I enjoyed this book a great deal and plan on
reading it to my class; this is a story of coping with life, not wishing
for fairy-tale endings. In the book’s only trace of non-realism,
there’s a fictional candy, Littmus Lozenges, which taste sweet but also
deeply melancholy for those who have experienced loss. An apt
description of the book itself.
five stars
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