Nothing new ever happens in the books. It's the same old theme.

Life is hard. Life is beautiful. Life is difficult. Life is wonderful.

In a dark time, doors will sometimes magically open and let us step inside to the warmth and light of a community.

Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift.

Did you think that rats do not have hearts? Wrong. All living things have a heart. And the heart of any living thing can be broken.

Edward knew what it was like to say over and over again the names of those you had left behind. He knew what it was like to miss someone. And so he listened. And in his listening, his heart opened wide and then wider still. (page 103)

The words, "I have a dog named Winn-Dixie," popped into my head in the voice of a small girl with a southern accent. I'd been writing long enough at that point to know not to ignore that kind of red flag. The next day, I put aside what I'd been working on, started with that one sentence, and followed it all the way to the end.