{"id":2560,"date":"2017-11-18T15:20:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-18T20:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/2017\/11\/because-of-winn-dixie\/"},"modified":"2017-11-18T15:20:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-18T20:20:00","slug":"because-of-winn-dixie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2017\/11\/because-of-winn-dixie\/","title":{"rendered":"Because of Winn-Dixie"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kate DeCamillo<\/span> – Candlewick Press, 2000. A Newbery Honor Book.<\/em> <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

A lonely, 10-year-old girl named Opal moves to a trailer park in a small Florida town with her father, an introverted preacher. Opal keeps hoping that her mother, who left years ago, will return. When Opal finds a stray dog in a grocery store, she rescues him and names him Winn-Dixie after the store. It is partly through the dog\u2019s comical exploits that she meets a curious assortment of characters, including two eccentric old ladies.<\/p>\n

Franny Block, the town librarian, is a frail but fabulous storyteller. Gloria Dump has wrinkled brown skin, poor eyesight and false teeth, yet Opal can tell right away that she\u2019s not a witch as two local boys say. Gloria is a fine listener and a recovering alcoholic. Her backyard has a \u201cmistake tree\u201d hung with empty liquor bottles to remind her never to touch anything stronger than coffee.
\n 
\nGleaming threads of wisdom are woven into this poignant tapestry, many spoken by Gloria Dump: \u201cThere ain\u2019t no way you can hold on to something that wants to go, you understand? You can only love what you got while you got it.\u201d
\n 
\nEventually Opal learns that the sweetness and sadness of life are often intermingled. Because of Winn-Dixie\u2014or maybe because of Gloria\u2019s earthy wisdom and Opal\u2019s growing perceptiveness\u2014Opal begins to accept her family life for what it is, and this diverse collection of people starts to weave together into a supportive community.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A lonely, 10-year-old girl named Opal moves to a trailer park in a small Florida town with her father, an introverted preacher. Opal keeps hoping that her mother, who left years ago, will return.<\/p>\n

Read more Because of Winn-Dixie<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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