Newbery Award Winners

Because of Winn-Dixie
India Opal Buloni made me laugh and cry, and when a book does that, it is almost certainly a good one. Kate DeCamillo has written a beautiful story in Because of Winn-Dixie. Opal is a ten year old little girl who rescues a large, ugly dog (who smiles) on a trip to the grocery. She lives with her Daddy who is a preacher in a trailer in Florida. They have recently moved, and Opal is lonely. But the move isn't the only thing that makes her lonely. Her mother left when she was three and hasn't returned for many years. There is a vacancy left in Opal that she cannot seem to fill, and it is this very thing that makes her so endearing. Winn-Dixie takes her into many situations that she would not have otherwise experienced. He is her "ice-breaker."

While I cannot relate to a loss like Opal has experienced, I can relate to the awakening she experienced during this summer vacation. She makes several friends--some of which are unlikely friends for a 10-year old girl. From each of them she learns a lesson about acceptance and judgement. The greatest lesson that Opal learns, and that readers learn through her, is that we never know what is going on with a person to cause them to act a certain way.

I find that this is true with my students. When I get frustrated with their misbehavior, lack of motivation, etc., I have remind myself that they have things going on in their lives that are often unknown to me. Some of them are simple things like a breakup or squabble between friends. Some of them are dealing with very serious issues. The point with all of them is that it isn't personal. And very often it isn't. It is tempting to allow ourselves to become caught up in feeling slighted by another, but usually they have something else going on. Opal had this situation with Amanda. Opal had no idea why Amanda was so sad, but once she realized what Amanda was dealing with, she reached out to her.

Winn-Dixie is a lovable, friendly dog. He carries with him no preconceptions. He is willing to reach out to others regardless of their circumstances and smile at them. Opal learns to do the same, and in the process a small piece of what she lost is restored. What a wonderful lesson for us all!

The Tale of Despereaux
This is not a book that I can say I enjoyed reading. However, after reading it and thinking about it, I have concluded that it is a good book. I think that I expected the glass slipper, the magic mirror, but this is not that kind of a fairy tale. It is much darker and full of evil. The Tale of Despereaux, which is also by Kate DiCamillo, is quite different from Because of Winn-Dixie. While each character in Because of Winn-Dixie had its own sort of sadness, none were evil. In The Tale of Despereaux, evil truly exists, but so does goodness.

Despereaux the mouse is good. He is noble and he loves with a pure heart. However, he turned upon by the mouse colony. His own family escorts him to his intended death away from the light and into the dark dungeon. Perhaps this is intended as a comparison with the darkness of the rats in the dungeon. Everyone knows that the rats are dark and evil, but are the mice who turn against their own truly any better?

Miggery Sow leads a somewhat parrellel life to that of Despereaux. After her mother dies, her father trades her to a man unrelated to her where she will be a servant. This man beats her until she has "cauliflower ears." I struggled with the Mig plot line the most. The "clouts" that she must endure first from her owner and then from those in the castle are told without any consequence. Mig becomes somewhat evil herself. But I think the question to be asked is what makes her different from Despereaux? How is it that he maintains dignity and goodness, while she does not despite their similar experiences?

In the end, there is enough forgiveness for all. Mig is reunited with her father, who now dotes on his daughter. Despereaux is reunited with his family and all are happy. The Princess Pea forgives the rat Roscuro, who had allowed resentment to pierce his soul when he only wanted the beauty of light, for causing her mother's death. All is resolved in a few short pages. Perhaps for young readers this is best. The two dimensional nature of the characters is preserved, and all ends well. For me, I wanted more depth and more remorse. Forgiveness is certainly a worthwhile and redeeming quality for young readers. However, forgiveness does not lead to happily ever after.