| Out Of The Dust (Apple Signature Edition) | 
 enlarge | Author: Karen Hesse
Brand: SCHOLASTIC BOOKS (TRADE)
Category: Book
List Price: $6.99
Buy Used: $0.01
You Save: $6.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  839 reviews
Sales Rank: 12427
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Young Adult
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 240
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: SB-0590371258
ISBN: 0590371258
EAN: 9780590371254
ASIN: 0590371258
Publication Date: January 1, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Some wear on book from reading, some spine creases, wear on binding and pages, we guarantee all purchases and ship all items via USPS mail.
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| Features:
| • | CHILDRENS BOOKS & MUSIC | | • | Childrens Books | | • | Language Arts |
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Product Description
Out of the DustKaren Hesse (1998). "This intimate novel, written in stanza form, poetically conveys the heat, dust, and wind of Oklahoma along with the discontent of narrator Billie Jo... during the Depression." -Publishers Weekly, starred review "A powerfully compelling tale." -Booklist, starred review Grade Level: 3-6
Amazon.com Review
Like the Oklahoma dust bowl from which she came, 14-year-old narrator Billie Jo writes in sparse, free-floating verse. In this compelling, immediate journal, Billie Jo reveals the grim domestic realities of living during the years of constant dust storms: That hopes--like the crops--blow away in the night like skittering tumbleweeds. That trucks, tractors, even Billie Jo's beloved piano, can suddenly be buried beneath drifts of dust. Perhaps swallowing all that grit is what gives Billie Jo--our strong, endearing, rough-cut heroine--the stoic courage to face the death of her mother after a hideous accident that also leaves her piano-playing hands in pain and permanently scarred. Meanwhile, Billie Jo's silent, windblown father is literally decaying with grief and skin cancer before her very eyes. When she decides to flee the lingering ghosts and dust of her homestead and jump a train west, she discovers a simple but profound truth about herself and her plight. There are no tight, sentimental endings here--just a steady ember of hope that brightens Karen Hesse's exquisitely written and mournful tale. Hesse won the 1998 Newbery Award for this elegantly crafted, gut-wrenching novel, and her fans won't want to miss The Music of Dolphins or Letters from Rifka. (Ages 9 and older) --Gail Hudson
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| Customer Reviews: Read 834 more reviews...
 Gritty, Emotional Realism November 28, 2008
Written as a collection of free-verse poems by a teenaged girl in the Oklahoma panhandle during the Depression, Out of the Dust is a masterpiece of historical fiction. It definitely deserves the Newbery Medal that it won in 1998. The teenaged emotions are pure, and believable. The imagery was so vivid that I formed a new understanding of the Dust Bowl. I admit, I was a little skeptical about the free-verse, and only picked up the book late at night with the intention of tasting the first few pages. I read it in one sitting.
Although I am artistic enough now to feel the gritty emotion and visualize the imagery which would have been impossible to communicate in mere prose, I am certain I would not have appreciated it as a child. I also abhorred depressing books when I was younger. Fifteen years later, I still shudder at memories of reading The Red Pony, The Call of the Wild, and Where the Red Fern Grows when I was a young teen. This book would have been no different. I am also concerned that many youths would not understand the historical context of the Dust Bowl Depression era. As such, I think this book would be a fantastic supplement to an American History class. Reading such a book will help students visualize the tragic past instead of merely recounting the facts.
 Exaggeratingly Sad book July 6, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The book is written in nice,figurative language, but it is far too sad. The book starts out like not such a bad story, but then suddenly it hits this spot with terrible sadness and frustration. Yet, it gives far too many details of how terribly some of the people in the story die. Basically what happens in this story in the sad part is when 2 people accidentally make dangerous, careless mistakes, which lead to the killing of 2 other people. When I got to that part, I felt like not reading this book anymore. I can't believe this book received about ten awards.
Excellent book for young readers June 18, 2008
This book is well written, and the only book my 9 year old has ever asked for.
One of my favorites. May 14, 2008
The first time I read this book was in fourth grade, and it has been a favorite ever since. Like previously stated, it is not the most uplifting of stories, but you can't expect everything to be pleasant and delightful all the time. I honestly would reccommend this to someone of any age to read atleast once.
Out of the Dust May 11, 2008
I read this book for the first time this year and wondered why I didn't have to read it in when I was in school. The main character Billi Jo has to over come a lot and does a wonderful job of it. This could teach so much to young readers. I strongly believe that this book be in the schools as a required read.
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