Out of the Dust: Karen Hesse

A poem cycle that reads as a novel, Out of the Dust tells the story of a girl named Billie Jo, who struggles to help her family survive the dust-bowl years of the Depression. Fighting against the elements on her Oklahoma farm, Billie Jo takes on even more responsibilities when her mother dies in a tragic accident. A testament to the American spirit, this novel is an instant classic.

This gripping story, written in sparse first-person, free-verse poems, tells of Billie Jo`s stoic courage, as she learns to cope with the loss of her mother and her grieving father`s slow deterioration. There is hope at the end when Billie Jo`s badly burned hands are healed, and she is able to play her beloved piano again. The 1998 Newbery Medal winner.