Survival in the Storm: The Dust Bowl Diary of Grace Edwards, Dalhart, Texas, 1935

The Dear America books offer a wonderful way to teach children American history. I thoroughly enjoy reading them myself.... and as a homeschooling Mom, I consider them a very valuable educational resource.

I found this one particularly interesting... I have family in TX, but never even knew about the "Dust Bowl era". I was blown away upon finding out the author of this book was 15....the writing skill and mental maturity displayed here are on par with experienced adult writers. Well done Katelan!!

Grace Edwards is a little girl growing up in the heart of the Texas panhandle in the midst of the Dust Bowl. Fierce, dust-filled winds ravage the plains and threaten the town's agricultural livelihood. Will Grace's family's farm survive?

very strong w historical content but unfortunately does not read like a journal to me more like it could've just been a regular hist fic :( v impressed a 16 year old wrote this don't get me wrong it's just. not my favorite DA book. did learn quite a lot tho. absolutely bonkers we just had... years of insane dust storms. anne of green gables win.

At first I wasn't sure how good this new Dear America book would be, since Katelan Janke, the author, is just fifteen years old. But I was pleasantly surprised, since she has written a book just as good as many of the Dear America books written by adult authors. Katelan Janke has written a fictional diary of a young girl living in Katelan's own hometown during the Great Depression. Twelve-year-old Grace Edwards has lived on a farm near Dalhart, Texas for her whole life. But it's 1935, and the region is suffering from a terrible drought as the entire country is devastated by the effects of the Great Depression. Grace describes her daily life in a diary as her family faces hardship and sorrow. She describes their determination to hold on show more and to never give up hope, even as many of their friends and neighbors abandon their homes in the hopes of finding a better life elsewhere. If you have doubts about reading this book because of the author's age, you shouldn't. Katelan Janke is a good writer and has written a good book for the Dear America series. show less

Fourteen-year-old Katelan Janke writes this exciting and harrowing tale of Grace Edwards and her family's struggle to survive the dangers and despair of the American Dust Bowl.In fourteen-year-old Katelan Janke's first Dear America book, we meet Grace Edwards, a little girl growing up in the heart of the Texas panhandle, in the midst of the Dust Bowl. Fierce, dust-filled winds ravage the plains and threaten the town's agricultural livelihood, creating poverty and despair among Grace's neighbors. Will her family's farm survive?

This entire series is a wonderful way to learn history or teach it to adolescents. I find today's generations seem to recall more when they learn through other people (pop songs, celebrity gossip, etc.), so what better way to teach history than through someone else's perspective? Yes, "authentic" diaries would be "better", but would the language really hold the modern student's attention? Did the diary writer know what WOULD be important in the context of history? Probably not.

It is a great way to find out what it was like for Dalhart families during the Depression. It tells the story of Grace Edwards, a 12-year-old girl. And her book is like her journal. It tells of what any diary would tell. I recomend this book for 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th graders.