Because of Winn-Dixie - by Kate DiCamillo

This book is now a classic, a favorite of many third graders and up, and there's good reason: it's a great story! Author Kate DiCamillo weaves together the stories of many different people in this book, all of them somehow having to do with the main character, Opal, and her dog, Winn-Dixie. In this book, it is the relationships between characters that really make it a great story, and worth reading. The dog is cute, and there are some funny parts, but mostly it's a book that touches your heart and leaves you wanting more. It has been a trend for younger students to read this, but I think the older the reader is, the more she/he will get out of this book. If you read it in third grade, read it again in fourth and fifth, and as an adult. You'll find new things to love about this book every time, I guarantee it.