Because of Winn Dixie

Title: Because of Winn Dixie
Author: Kate DiCamillo
Storyline: After moving with her dad to a small town in Florida, Opal Buloni is trying hard to find friends. When she meets a charming mutt at the Winn Dixie grocery store, exciting things begin. This story covers many topics but has the main message of dealing with your past and moving on to the future.

Warnings: An old lady calls war "hell". I don't really have a problem with it, but parents might beware.

Opal's Dad is a preacher, but the view of God is shallow for the most part. This book can be kind of depressing, dealing with deaths, prison, and divorce. The end is ultimately happy, however. With all books, you have to take the good parts with the bad. For the most part the message is very good. Parents might want to review it if they are skeptical. It was one of my favorite books when I was younger, but some kids might have trouble with it.