Our first book for the 09-10 school year is called Out of the Dust, by Karen Hesse. This book was recommended to me by a former 5th grade Discovery student. She said it was a great Historical Fiction book and she was right.
This book is written in journal format from the point of view of 14 year old Billie Joe. The entries begin in the winter of 1934 in Oklahoma. Billie Joe lives with her mother and father (her father had hoped she would be born a boy, hence the name Billie Joe) and they live a very hard life as farmers. Dust and drought are everywhere and the entire community is suffering. Billie Joe finds out one day that her mother is going to have a baby. The whole family is thrilled and looks forward to the baby’s arrival. One day Billie Joe’s father leaves a pail of kerosene near the oven and in moments a tragic accident changes the family’s life forever.
I give this book 4 1/2 out of 5 book worms.
What do you think about this book choice? Please post a comment and share your thoughts. Do you think you might read this book? Have you read a similar book that you think we should know about? What else would you like to share?
You can read more about Karen Hesse by clicking here:http://www.carolhurst.com/titles/outofthedust.html
You can read more about Out of the Dust by clicking here: http://www.kidsreads.com/authors/au-hesse-karen.asp
2 comments:
I loved this book and shared it with Mr. Wels. He loved it, too!
This is a great book! I use to read it with my 5th graders when I taught fifth grade. Since it is written in journal format I was also able to read it quickly. Good choice!--Mrs. Kellett
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