This book had some ups and downs. Sometimes it would bore me with all of the extra information it had, but then it made me smile with how the main character finally finds peace in her new home.

Great story. One of my favorites

Twelve year old Sadie Wynn and her family have to leave their home in Missouri because her father has lost his job and they will have to look for a job elsewhere. They decide to look for a job in Texas. Many people have been affected by the drought and Depression. Sadie’s best friend Wilma and her family lost their home and had to go live with relatives in California. Wilma begs Sadie to never forget they are best friends and they promise to write to each other every day. Sadie is resentful about leaving her home and angry at strangers that stare at her father’s polio-withered legs. They find a one-room shack made out of tar-paper on the coast of Texas. Her father builds a fishing boat and fishes to earn money. Sadie is unappreciative of what she has and what is really important until she has to deliver her newborn sister a month early. The baby has trouble breathing and her new friend Dollie is there to support her. Sadie realizes that “instead of counting my blessings like Daddy asked me to do, I’d been feeding my bitterness.” This family learns to endure the Depression and they also become closer and stronger through it. This book would be good for students in grades 5-8. There are many themes that could be discussed such as, The Depression, survival, living with disabilities, and life in Dust Bowl Missouri. There are other books that could be read to delve deeper into The Depression. Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse is another historical fiction book that could be read, compared and discussed. n Students could write in a journal as they read this fiction books. They could write about the hardships that were endured. There are nonfiction books that would give the students more information like, The Great Depression by Jacqueline Farrell and Hardship and Hope: America and the Great Depression by Victoria Sherrow.

This is one of the best books of the Depression era. Man - o - man, these were some strong people.

This book follows Sadie and her family through their many struggles in the Great Depression. First, they move to a run-down shack in Texas, then many other misadventures occur to bring them closer as a family and make Sadie a better person.
I liked this book because of Marian Hale's elegant writing style and her "rich" characters. Though set in the Depression, Sadie's experiences are relevant today.

Twelve-year old Sadie and her family move from Missouri to the Texas Gulf Coast during the depression. The author captures the pioneer spirit and growing up during the Depression. It reminded me of the Little House books. Appropriate for grades 5-8.

I gave this book four stars because I could never do all the things they had to do. I think sadie is much braver than I will ever be and I wish I could be more like her. I liked the unexpected parts that you didn't see coming. She has to take care of all her siblings and go to a new school.

A fantastic little book about a young girl struggling to come to terms with life changes during the Depression.

I loved the contrast of dry and dead Missouri against the windy, Texas coast…teeming with life; broken and parched wheat fields surrounding a home with a broken screen door and a dust covered front porch compared to a tar paper shack and a coastline filled with seagulls, herons, fish, crab, shrimp, and trees. Sadie learns several valuable lessons in this book; lessons even adults are still learning. It’s a well-written middle-grade book about friendship, family, sacrifice, love, and what makes a home a home.

⚠️ content warnings:
None!

This is one of my all-time favorite books. It's amazing and very insightful. Historical fiction set during the Great Depression. A girl leaves her home and almost everything she's ever known. Great writing.

Sadie Wynn is devastated when the dustbowl dries up her family's livelihood and they have to leave Missouri in the hopes that her dad will find a job on the coast of Texas. Her dad is a hard worker and a skilled carpenter, but it takes a while for people to stop staring at his polio-withered legs and see him as a person. As they rebuild their lives, Sadie must come to terms with the loss that her family--and the community of displaced persons that she's relucttantly become a part of--have endured.

This is one of the best historical fictions I've read, and my 10yo son loved it as well (he hasn't met a book he didn't like, though!) Sadie was so relatable, and themes of self-reliance, community, forgiveness, and the value of friendship made this one a real winner. If I were a teacher, I'd definately read it with my class. Hale manages to write about the depression without being depressing, and I loved it.

Great historical fiction about the depression and how we can despise how others treat us because of circumstances but we can do the same to others.

Really enjoyed this book. About a family in the depression who lost a lot but never their dignity. Also about a young girl coming to terms with the changing circumstances of her family. Loved it -thanks Kristi