Because of Winn-Dixie

One summer's day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog.

But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. He is big, skinny, and has a "winning" smile that is impossible to resist. After moving to a new town in Florida with her father, a preacher who is often too busy or too sad to talk, Opal feels lonely and out of place. However, it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally begins to make friends with the quirky local townspeople, from the librarian with a tragic past to the soft-hearted ex-convict at the pet store.

Most importantly, it’s because of her new companion that Opal finally finds the courage to ask her father the ten things she wants to know about her mother, who left when Opal was only three. As she learns to navigate her own grief and the secrets of the people around her, Opal realizes that just about every beautiful, bittersweet thing that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie.