Out of the Dust

Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
Published by Scholastic Paperbacks (1999)
240 pages; ages 12+

Synopsis: Billie Jo lives with her parents in dusty Oklahoma. Her favorite thing to do is to play her mother's piano, while she despises the dust that covers much of her home. In a fire accident, Billie Jo's hands become severely burned, while her mother's entire body is scorched. Her mother gives birth to a baby boy, but both the mother and son die. Billie Jo struggles to keep her life with her distant father from falling apart, but her one comfort, the ability to play the piano, is ruined.

Genre: Poetry; Historic Fiction; Problem; Romance

Warning: some detailed descriptions of the fire, as well as of Billie Jo's mother after she has burned. There is brief mild language.

Recommendations: Letters from Rifka by Karen Hesse; Island of the Blue Dolphins by Karen Hesse; Numbering the Stars by Lois Lowry