I am sure that everyone in this room has been lonely before. “Because of Winn – Dixie” by Kate Dicamillo is about India Opal Buloni a ten-year-old girl that can not make friends easily. She is lonely and sad at first but finds happiness in the end. 

          I remember my sister reading this book for a class in elementary school and she loved it so, I thought since I have the time I will try and read it for once. I read the book at the beginning of the semester but I constantly find myself relating back to it and it has stuck with me ever since. I personally think that I like this book because it highlights the effects of having an animal with you like a dog or a cat. India lives with her father who is a priest and a very busy man hence she never gets to see him. She would normally play outside with her friends but once they moved to Florida, she finds out that she is lonely and does not have anybody to play with. 

          “Because of Winn – Dixie” is set in Naomi, Florida where India lives with her father and her dog who ultimately becomes her best friend named Winn – Dixie. Winn – Dixie is a calm and obedient dog while India is reckless and irrational. After she meets the apparently scary witch who in reality is just misunderstood, the shop owner who is labeled a criminal for life but is a very nice person and the Dewberry twins who she judges to fast she starts to have more friends and she even gets a job. 

          This story is important to me I kind of relate to India in a way like when I moved from India a couple of years ago, it was really hard for me to make friends as I am a shy person by nature. After I moved I found myself talking to my dog and spending most of my time with him. Another way India and I are alike is that her father works a lot and my mom does to so I do not spend much time with her. 

           The book may seem childish but to me, it is an absolute classic and personally I think this book would be a good read for any and everyone. This story ultimately conveys the message that nobody should have to live life sad and depressed and that it is never right to judge someone by how they look.