Book Detail

Out of the Dust

Publication Information
Author:  Hesse, Karen Illustrator:  
Title:  Out of the Dust Date:  1997
Publisher:  Scholastic Press City:  New York
ISBN, paperback:  0-590-36080-9 ISBN, hardback:  

Recommended audience:
ABE/ABLE:   Yes ESOL:  
Family:   Yes Young Adult:   Yes
Picture:  

General Information:
Book Type(s):    historical fiction, poetry, memoirs/reminiscences

HSE Descriptor(s):    language arts - reading| social studies

Summary:
Set in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of the Depression, this powerful book tells in unobtrusive blank verse the story of personal tragedy and community hardship through the experiences of Billy Jo, a 15-year-old girl. The book is so credible that the reader can almost taste the grit.

Teaching Ideas:
Because the characters are so well developed, teachers might ask readers to write a sketch of one of the characters and revise it as they read or to develop a matrix of characters, traits and actions. In the book, family bonds are stressed by hardship. Students might discuss what traits help a family survive and what contribute to failure. Students might enjoy exploring and experimenting with free verse to see how it differs from more formal poetry and from prose. In addition teachers could include this book in a unit on weather. Check the following web sites for photographs, recordings, history and other links about the Dust Bowl: http://dc.peachnet.edu/~pgore/students/w97/tanyacox/dustbowl.htm, http://www.lubbock.k12.tx.us/rush/lessons/dustbowl.html, and http://www.mindspring.com/~jwar/dust/dustbowl.htm.

Keywords: select any link below for a list of resources which also have that keyword
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > death
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > emotions > grief
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > human strength
bullet Emotions-Personal Issues > personal issues > individual > physical issues > physical disability
bullet Family > father > father-child relationships
bullet Hardships > disasters > natural disasters > drought
bullet History > region > U.S. history > Great Depression > Dust Bowl
bullet Communities > rural > rural life > farms
bullet Literature and Language > poetry


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