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There are currently 20 member reviews
for When the Sky Turned to Dust
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Patricia W. (Desoto, TX)
When the Sky Turned to Dust
When the Sky Turned to Dust is an excellent story told from a twelve-year-old girl's point of view that depicts the hardships and struggles of a family during the years of the Dust Bowl. The wind and sand can almost be felt as the family, animals, and land suffer through several years of devastating assaults. The family members and friends are loving, kind, and generous people with human flaws. Matthias shows the differences in how individuals deal with hardship and grief while living as a family unit. It is a good history lesson of that time period for school children. From the story, the reader learns about the drought, Great depression, loss of crops and farm animals, supportive communities, and the concern of the federal government in creating the Farm Security Administration and the Soil Conservation Service to help address these problems of farmers.
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Lesley F. (San Diego, CA)
Dusting Off History
When most people talk about "The Great Depression", if at all these days, it is usually about money: banks failing, mortgages revoked, etc. We don't often hear the stories of PEOPLE from the Midwest of Canada and the U.S.A. When the Sky Turned to Dust tells one family's story as they fought for their family, their farm, and their lives. It is gut-wrenchingly sad in places, but there is quiet joy in the family, too, as they live through one of the worst periods of modern history. Much of it brought back memories of my mother's stories of the Depression and how her family struggled to survive in rural Ontario including losing her mother in 1935 to asthma, when she was only 11. After finishing the book, I realized it is perfect reading for middle school students, not just adults. I will be recommending it to three book clubs, both full of older people, but will also tell teachers that it is a great story of life at the time no longer often shared. And to author Catherine Matthias: I still have not been able to get that song out of my head - an old family favourite.
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Susan R. (Greensboro, NC)
Historical Fiction for Kids
This is a book written for young teens. It's not a genre that I normally read but I was curious to see how detailed the author would get when discussing this sad part of our history. I think it's a great book for kids to read. I don't think that they get much history taught in the schools anymore and this is a well researched and well written book to help learn more about US history.
This book is about the Dolan family and primarily concentrates on twelve-year-old Caroline and nine-year-old Daniel. They are the two oldest children in a farming family with 5 children. They spend a lot of time together and are very close. Because one of the younger children is having a bad reaction to the dust from the storms, their mother takes the youngest children to the northeast to live with family. Caroline and Daniel make the trip with her but have decided to return to the farm to help their father on the farm. When they return to the farm, Caroline takes over as the main cook and takes care of the house. The descriptions of the dust storms are terrifying. It was scary to think about the home filling up with dust, the animals dying from the dust and the lack of rain that makes it impossible to grow crops. It was amazing to read about the clean up that had to be done in the house after every storm when the house was full of dust and there were huge piles of dust outside the doors. There was one terrifying scene when Daniel and Caroline got caught outside when a storm hit and it was almost impossible for them to find the house again. The Dolan family was better off than some of the other local families but they were willing to share what little they had with people who were less well off.
The book not only dealt with children's reaction to life in such an unsettled time but it dealt very well with grief. There were always neighbors leaving to try to find a better life, the children missed their mother and they weren't sure what the future would bring to their family farm.
I think this is a great book for your middle-schooler to read. It is a well researched look at what children went through during the years that the drought caused horrendous dust storms that threatened the lives of people as well as farm animals and the crops.
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Lorraine D. (Lacey, WA)
When The Sky Turned To Dust - A Story and A Lesson
A story that a child can read, understand, learn from, and enjoy. When the Sky Turned to Dust expertly depicts with simple language the sounds, sights, and horrific challenges of living and farming in the Dust Bowl. Catherine Matthias has crafted a story that integrates lessons of learning, reading, empathy, compassion, all built into the essence of the story itself. The beauty in the telling is that it is from a child's perspective. A reader learns the importance of language with Daniel's inquisitiveness, the impact of compassion with Caroline's and her mother's commitment to the family, commitment with the Father's steadfast efforts to save all, and the value of charity through the shared blessings of the father, the relatives, and the overall Community.
The sub-title on the cover reads, "They fought for their family, their land, and their lives". Yes, they put all their energy into fighting to save it all, but, the word "fought" conjured up a different image for me, especially placed relevant to the children. Another way to express what they (all of them) did is to say "They stood firm for their family, their land, and their lives". It is what they did – they were steadfast, they held ground, they did the best they had to, or could, do. Those were violent storms and conditions, indeed, and they did fight back against the elements in whatever way they could, but these (now) are violent times in our history. I'd rather think of a family standing fast together against a foe, than fighting.
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Marcia S. (Ackley, IA)
Well Researched Book
This book held my attention from the start. It takes place during the Depression and Dust Bowl in the 1930's which destroyed the lives of the rural farms and communities.
Caroline is a young girl whose family is greatly affected by the ravages of the weather on her family farm in Kansas. She has a special bond with her brother, Daniel, and her father. As a result, "family" is stressed throughout the book.
Her mother and three younger siblings leave, with her father's encouragement, to stay with her own sister in New York. Although Caroline's father and mother did this to protect the younger children, Caroline resents her mother leaving.
Much is put on the shoulders of Caroline and Daniel with their mother gone. Their bond deepens as they depend on each other. However, the dust storms take their deathly toll, even on the two children. How the family, farm, and even the entire country is affected is not white-washed. The author did extensive research so the story is based on the facts of the time.
The book is a fast read, only 200 pages, but it provides the reader with so much. It relays the love and strength of the family in the most difficult of times. It gives an accurate picture of what was happening historically. I recommend it, especially to those with no idea of what this period of our history involved. One needs to know the history of their country.
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Sandra C. (Rensselaer, NY)
Family strength in times of many challenges.
We lament about the state of affairs in the US at this time. Unfortunately few of us knew what our ancestors went through. Maintaining your values and dignity when met with hardship is remarkable. The author showed us how that can be accomplished. The characters were very believable and it is clear the author did a great deal of research about the time the book centered on.
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Dianne F. (Incline Village, NV)
"It was every monster I had ever imagined"
It is very hard to imagine the Great American Dust Bowl which tore families apart and caused widespread death and destruction in the 1930's. Author, Catherine Matthias with extensive research vividly describes the effects of the dust storms that you can almost hear, taste and smell the air. Only by closing one's eyes can you visualize the darkness.
Nine year old Daniel and his sister, twelve year old Caroline mature quickly when they are faced with the dust storms in Kansas during the '30's. Their family dynamics start to change and they find themselves helping their father protect and take care of their family farm. High emotion runs through the story as Daniel and Caroline experience despair, frustration, loneliness, anger and grief all while continuing to try to maintain hope and positivity.
I thoroughly enjoyed the author's description of the cross country train rides that Daniel and Caroline experienced. I fondly remember being awed at the Kansas City train station and enjoying the sleeping and dining cars. Just like Daniel and Caroline, meeting and interacting with strangers on the train was a highlight.
As the story enfolds, the reader becomes protective of Daniel and Caroline and yearns for their struggles to end and "regular routines" to return.
"When the Sky Turned to Dust" is ideal for YA readers due to the author's detailed description of the devastation of the Dust Bowl that occurred during the 1930's. It has a very good story line full of emotion and conflict.
