Verse Novel: "Out of the Dust"

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Hesse, Karen. Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic Press, 1997.

A young girl comes of age in Oklahoma as dust storms combine with the Great Depression to create a mountain of hardships.

Dust can be angry and dust can be mean, and the dust storms that settled on Oklahoma during the great depression could break a family's heart. This is the story of one such family- a man, a woman, and a girl. A story of challenges faced when the soil dries up and partners with the wind and becomes an aggressor in a war without end.

"On Sunday,
winds came,
bringing a red dust
like prairie fire,
hot and peppery,
searing the inside of my nose,
the whites of my eyes,
Roaring dust,
turning the day from sunlight to midnight."

When Billie Jo's mother is killed, she must not only weather the storms outside, but she must also weather the silence of being neglected and overlooked by her father. This is their story. A story of dust and rain. But also a story of blossoming hopes.

Scott O'Dell Historical Fiction Award. Booklist Editors' Choice. YALSA Best Book for Young Adults. ALA Notable Children's Book. Newbery Medal. School Library Journal Best Book.