#34 - Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse

1998 Medal winner

"A terrible accident has transformed Billie Jo's life, scarring her inside and out. Her mother is gone. Her father can't talk about it. And the one thing that might make her feel better - playing the piano - is impossible with her wounded hands.

To make matters worse, dust storms are devastating the family farm and all the farms nearby. While others flee from the dust bowl, Billie Jo is left to find peace in the bleak landscape of Oklahoma - and in the suprising landscape of her own heart."

I wasn't sure how I'd like this book. It is written in an unusual writing style - in stanzas, like poetry, and I wasn't sure I would be able to get past that. But, I loved it, and I think it should be required reading for students of Oklahoma history!