Out of the Dust

karen hesse

When Billie Jo is just fourteen she must endure heart-wrenching ordeals that no child should have to face. The quiet strength she displays while dealing with unspeakable loss is as surprising as it is inspiring. Written in free verse, this award-winning story is set in the heart of the Great Depression. It chronicles Oklahoma's staggering dust storms, and the environmental--and emotional--turmoil they leave in their path. An unforgettable tribute to hope and inner strength.

Genres historical fictionpoetryyoung adultfictionmiddle gradechildrenshistoricalschoolclassicsread for school

227 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1997

Literary awards

newbery medal, scott odell award, vermont golden dome book award,

Places

the united states of america, oklahoma,

This edition

Format: 227 pages, Paperback
Published: June 1, 2005 by Scholastic Inc.
ISBN: 9780439771276
ASIN: 0439771277
Language: English

Characters More characters

Billie Jo

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About the author

karen hesse

Karen Hesse is an American author known for her children's and young adult literature, often set in historical contexts. She received the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust (1997), a verse novel about a young girl enduring the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Hesse's works frequently tackle complex themes, as seen in Witness (2001), which explores the rise of the Ku Klux Klan in a 1920s Vermont town, and The Music of Dolphins (1996), which tells the story of a girl raised by dolphins. Her novel Stowaway (2000) is based on the real-life account of a boy aboard Captain Cook's Endeavour. Over her career, Hesse has received numerous accolades, including a MacArthur Fellowship in 2002 and the Phoenix Award for Letters from Rifka (1992).