Saturday, November 15, 2025

Review: Out of the Dust

This is part of my continuing series, #iLoveMG , where I share middle grade books that my fifth graders recommend. (Please note that my fifth graders read a wide variety of books across a wide variety of genres, levels, and topics. Do not think that these books are "only" for fifth graders.) Or check out #3rdfor3rd for recommendations from when I taught third grade.

Out of the Dust

Recommended by Anonymous




My book is called Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and the genre is historical fiction. It’s also a novel in verse. The book is about a girl named Billie Joe, who is living in Oklahoma during the dust bowl. 
 
Billie Joe is currently living with her father and her pregnant mother. Her favorite thing to do is to play the piano. She survives a terrible accident, but no longer can she play the piano’s brilliant keys. She is scarred inside and out, and to make matters worse, her father’s farm is fading, and soon enough, gone. 
 
This book is a great book if you like novels in verse that are sad, touching, and will melt your heart. I loved this book so much that I couldn’t put it down. It teaches you empathy, and makes you feel pity for Billie Joe, and everyone else who lived in the dust bowl. 
 
I rate this book 5/5 stars, because it’s very sad, yet it was written with a lot of imagery, and hope.

Click here for all of our #iLoveMG posts. What are your favorite middle grade books?

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