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itsjustme349's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Child death, Slavery, and Grief
bellabrasiliant's review against another edition
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
this was my fave as a kiddo and looking back it was my gateway into becoming a prison abolitionist. also the bottle tree imagery is permanently branded into my brain, i knew that i wanted to be gloria dump when i grew up.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief and Death of parent
Minor: Alcoholism and War
Opal's mother does not die but left her and her father when Opal was young. Opal's loss of her mother colors her emotional arc through the whole book and is a major key to her character development and coming of age, so if that will be challenging for you then you may have to sit this one out. There are also mentions of alcoholism, framed as an illness that afflicts otherwise good kind people. All alcoholism is off-screen and inactive; the person Opal interacts with is several years sober.relf's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
What a lovely book. Our narrator, India Opal. is the 10-year-old daughter of a preacher. Her mom abandoned the family when Opal was tiny, and her father--whom she calls the Preacher--is withdrawn. To make things harder, the Preacher takes a job in Florida, and Opal has a hard time finding friends in their new town. It's about this time she rescues a stray dog at a Winn-Dixie supermarket . . . and then begins to meet a variety of eccentric adults and kids, each of whom has their own burdens or sorrows. The rest of the story is about learning to look beyond the surface, to accept people as we find them, and to love the people we have while we have them. I read it to my 9- and 5-year-old grandchildren at the same time, and they both loved it--in fact, I'd recommend it for just about any age.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Grief, and Abandonment
tbwhite23's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Alcoholism, Abandonment, and War
katiepfurtado's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I appreciated Kate DiCamillo’s author’s note regarding a character saying a problematic slur and for recommending a racist book. It’s nice to see how far we have come regarding diversity (neuro and racial).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, and Child death
sea_tea_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
4.75
Read this with my children. We laughed, we cried. Really enjoyed this story!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment
Moderate: Alcoholism
imstephtacular's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, and War
Minor: Ableism, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Child death, Medical content, and Alcohol
diegolopez's review against another edition
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Ableism, Alcoholism, and Death
Minor: Addiction, Abandonment, and War
wolfiegrrrl's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I first read and fell in love with this sweet story about a very good dog whose presence helps a town cope with their sadness when I was in 4th grade, and I decided to revisit it years later as an adult to see if it still touched me the same way.
This slice of life deals with abandonment, loss of loved ones, the struggle to make friends, the complicated feelings that come from being uprooted and moving to a new place, and the loneliness of old age in a way that's comforting and easy to understand. There is also brief discussion about the effects prison, war, and addiction have on a person. It's not too much for a child to process and it's a sweet kind of melancholy to read as an adult.
This slice of life deals with abandonment, loss of loved ones, the struggle to make friends, the complicated feelings that come from being uprooted and moving to a new place, and the loneliness of old age in a way that's comforting and easy to understand. There is also brief discussion about the effects prison, war, and addiction have on a person. It's not too much for a child to process and it's a sweet kind of melancholy to read as an adult.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child death, Death, Slavery, Death of parent, Abandonment, and War
elizabethjane's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Child death, and Abandonment