The two main characters in the story "Because of Winn-Dixie" are a little girl named Opal and her dog, Winn-Dixie. Opal moves into a new town with her dad, the Preacher. Opal is lonely and has no friends in her new town. She meets Winn-Dixie in a grocery store and decides to take the homeless dog to her house. Opal asks her dad if she can keep Winn-Dixie and he says she can!

Opal likes to spend time at the library, where she meets the librarian, Miss Franny. When Amanda, a "snotty" girl who's not very nice to Opal questions if dogs are allowed in the library, Miss Franny says "a select few" and winks at Opal. She likes Winn-Dixie, and Opal has made a new friend!

Opal and Winn-Dixie go to a pet store where Opal finds a nice collar and leash to buy for Winn-Dixie- except she doesn't have enough money to

buy it. Opal meets the clerk, Otis,

who lets her work small jobs in

the store to earn money.

Another friend!

Otis likes to play music on his guitar- sometimes Opal found him playing for the animals, and the music calmed them.

A little girl names Sweetie Pie Thomas comes to the pet shop. She likes Opal and Winn-Dixie, and invites them both to her 6th birthday party.

Opal is noticing how her life has improved since she found Winn-Dixie- she is making new friends, has a job, and is invited to a party! She is excited!

On the way home from the pet shop, Winn-Dixoe runs into someone's yard. Two neighborhood boys, the Dewberry boys, tell Opal the lady living there is a witch!

After worrying for a while, Opal goes into the scary yard to find Winn-Dixie. What she finds surprises her!

Opal finds Winn-Dixie eating peanut butter out of the woman's hand. The lady is nice- not mean or scary at all! Opal talks to the lady, Gloria Dump. Gloria and Opal talk and Gloria teaches Opal about gardening.

Thanks to Winn-Dixie, Opal has made another friend!

One day at the library, Miss Franny shows Opal and Amanda a special kind of lozenge that was invented by a man who invented lozenges that taste like sadness. Opal takes some lozenges to share with her new friends. Every time someone tries a lozenge, they are reminded of something that makes them feel sad or lonely.