Karen Hesse

The grim realities of hardship and poverty during the Great Depression and dust bowl era are reflected in this novel narrated by 14 year old Billie Jo Kelby. Her journal entries reveal that she is, at first, largely content and her family is making the best of harsh living situations while looking forward to welcoming a new baby. However a terrible accident upends her world, leaving Billie Jo motherless, without her long-awaited sibling and deeply scarred, both internally and externally. Her show more father becomes reclusive and despondent while Billie Jo deals with guilt and grief of her own. Playing the piano might be the one thing that will bring her and her father solace, but her wounded hands make that nearly impossible. Making matters worse are the overwhelming dust storms that continue to rampage her family's property and that of her Oklahoma neighbors.

Billie Jo prepares to escape it all, but being 'robbed' while she sleeps on a train car during her attempt to run away forces Billie Jo to return home, make peace with her father and to ultimately forgive herself as she discovers love is rekindled by optimism and hope. show less

"Highlighting eight moments of crisis for the Jewish people in almost as many different centuries, this soul-searching, handsomely produced book is clearly important. It is not, however, festive. Newbery Medalist Hesse (Out of the Dust) imagines a child speaker for each of eight poems, one for each night of the celebration. For example, Tamara, in 1190 York, weeps as she chops onions and remembers her father, recently slain by mobs, then triumphs over despair (holding her baby brother, she show more says, "Though we have lost much/ yet this much remains"). Paired with each poem is text explaining each tragic episode, from the Inquisition to Kristallnacht; a tag after each poem limns each fictional speaker's fate. Pinkney (Alvin Ailey) supplies some of his most striking work to date, capturing the luminosity of the holiday not just through the lights of candles or starry skies, but in the natural radiance of his characters." show less

In my opinion, this is an extremely powerful book. First off, I love the setting of the story: the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma during 1934-1935. It is an event that I was not aware about as I'm sure, many other readers would not be aware of it either. However, Karen Hessen did an excellent job setting a tone for the setting and helping us visualize what it was really like to go through that. In the chapter "Fields of Flashing Light", Hessen perfectly explains the struggles it was for her family to show more keep their farm in tact with the constant dust storms. When I think of dust storms I think of just sand blowing but the way Hessen described it in this chapter opened my eyes and made me realize it was so much more. Aside from the setting, I really enjoyed the plot. It was emotionally difficult to read at times, however I think the plot was really believable and well-developed. I loved that the entire book was written in poetry-style/form and it was almost like reading Billie Jo's journal or diary entries. We were able to follow along with the story month by month, and read the important events of her life. The way that Hesse was able to write with fewer words than an actual novel and still get her story across with plenty of details is brilliant to me. The writing flowed well and the way that she wrote in stanzas rather kept it engaging. Especially in the chapter "On Stage" where she would have one stanza on the left of the page, and the next stanza to right of the page. It kept my eyes shifting back and forth which was enjoyable to read. Overall, I believe that the big idea of the story is that once we can come to terms with our tough times, we will be able to stay positive and become happier. Billie Jo wanted to run away from her tough situation but realized that her life wasn't getting better by running away, it was "just different and lonely". I think Hesse is trying to tell a story of facing whatever obstacles that are thrown. show less

This is Billie Jo's story. She lives on a farm in Oklahoma during the Depression, doing her best to deal with the constant dust and the hard times that have befallen her entire community. Her dream is to become a pianist, but a tragic mistake puts that future in jeopardy and changes her family forever.

It's hard to sell a book of poetry about a girl growing up during the Dust Bowl. Historical fiction and free verse just don't seem to pique the interest of most kids, probably because those show more genres are often considered either boring or difficult (or both). But, believe me, this book is amazing. It's more than compelling. It's gorgeously written and heart-wrenching. Highly, highly recommended, especially for kids who may have lost a family member. show less