-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
by Catherine Matthias
In the midst of America's Great Depression, a devastating drought and violent winds brought destruction and added hardship to the Midwest.
When the Sky Turned to Dust follows the journey of the courageous Dolan family as they face the ultimate test of strength and resilience and struggle to survive on the unforgiving prairie.
During the ravages of the Dust Bowl, the largest storm ever recorded swept through Kansas, leaving chaos in its wake. Separated from his family, nine-year-old Daniel must fight for his life. With the fate of her brother in her hands, it's up to twelve-year-old Caroline to brave the treacherous conditions to save both their lives.
As the storms rage on, their crops fail, and tragedy strikes, the Dolan family must come together like never before to overcome their greatest challenge and deepest grief.
If you enjoyed the heart-wrenching tale of survival in Out of the Dust, you won't want to miss When the Sky Turned to Dust. Filled with powerful emotions and gripping conflicts, this book will keep you turning the pages.
"In the brief first chapter, you've grabbed me by the lapels and dragged me into the story, and I'm ready to follow you anywhere. As a reader, I sense the solid research that underpins the story." —Heather Vogel Frederick, author of more than 20 books, including The Mother-Daughter Book Club series.
"Your depiction of the Dust Bowl is a real triumph. It's richly imagined and thoroughly researched. You portray these real people as imperfect, but generous and kind... capable of loving through whatever life throws at them, and demonstrating the value above all else of sharing and sticking together in hard times." —Karen Fisher, author of A Sudden Country, a Pen/Faulkner Finalist.
"From the first page, Catherine Matthias masterfully weaves a powerful tale of life during the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, drawing readers into the historical setting. Her writing is thoughtful, clear, and deeply reflective, like the way Caroline's observations vividly paint this scene: "Corn silk yellow washed the sky. Yellow meant the dust blew in from Texas, although sometimes Texas gave us orange and, a couple of times, a pale, sick green. Red came from Oklahoma to the south. It carried an oily stink that could make a skunk jealous. Black was our home state of Kansas, blowing to who knows where." You can practically feel the dust on your skin while reading that. Concepts such as the economic struggles that led to bank failures and farmers losing their land are explained in an easy-to-understand way, like when Papa tells them, "When you borrow from the bank, the bank owns whatever you bought until you pay back all you owe." Subtle historical details, like Roosevelt's fireside chats, add meaningful context and enrich the story. "The honest portrayal of how the Dust Bowl affects the children—the constant health worries, fear of separation, and the devastating loss of one of their own—is compelling. That loss hits Caroline the hardest and stands out as the most heartbreaking moment in the book. Still, there are gentle, uplifting moments throughout, like the kids teaching Wade (who eventually becomes their uncle), choosing a magazine with paper dolls for the train ride, marveling at the big city, or sharing Hershey Kisses with Mama. "I highly recommend When the Sky Turned to Dust for its honest, heartfelt description of living through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl era. It belongs in school curricula, offering lessons on resilience, financial responsibility, and the strength of family and community. It's a beautifully told tale of courage, hope, and finding light even in the darkness." —Reviewed by Jennifer Senick, educator with 20 years' experience & MA in educational psychology for Reedsy.
"This is a fabulous book. It offers a personalized view of the depression and the dust bowl from a girl's point of view. The hardships become gritty, heartbreaking, and escalating. Allowing the narrator to experience hardship and losses makes them understandable for the reader. Following along as Caroline and her brother Daniel learn about the depression outside of their community flows smoothly. Daniel's work with vocabulary offers a wonderful built-in lesson for the reader. I found this book extremely well executed with the details that middle schoolers need while adding a broader perspective to anchor the story. I will look for additional works by this author." —Indie Book Readers Appreciation Group Medallion Award.
"I could almost feel dust coat my throat as I read "When the Sky Turned to Dust," a middle grade historical novel published in 2025 by Wallowa County author Catherine Matthias, with a cover design by Joan Gilbert. I really like middle grade books, which are generally for ages 8 to 12. These books tackle tough topics, but I've found that most resolve in an uplifting way — but not, necessarily, without heartbreak along the way. At the end of the book, Matthias lists her reference materials, including the many museums and sites she visited in Kansas." —Reviewed by Lisa Britton, editor, Eastern Oregon GO! Magazine
"I must say, there's a lot to enjoy here folks. Firstly, the historical significance of the Dust Bowl is huge; not just on the economy of the time, but on the Americans who lived through it. The author works hard to show this in terms of its effect on the minds of young and old, and the hardship they endured. Secondly, it's accessibly written. The author, I suspect, knows her readership. As a result, most middle graders will find this novel not at all hard to follow. And thirdly, I enjoyed the drama. It's often gritty; it's often sad – but it's honest, reflecting the way it was when the sky turned to dust." —A 'Wishing Shelf' Editorial Review
"When the Sky Turned to Dust by Catherine Matthias is a transcendental story about one family's harrowing experience during the Dust Bowl. The raw pain that is portrayed in the book rips right at the hearts of readers in a way that's very real and, most importantly – understandable for young readers. Grief is an unfortunate part of life. Some of us are lucky not to face it until we are older, but others are forced to endure grief at frighteningly young ages. My favorite line in the whole book is "grief shows us we loved." I think it is a beautiful way to teach young readers – and remind older minds, as well – that to love can end in pain when we lose a loved one, but we wouldn't trade the love we shared with that person for anything. Catherine Matthias' When the Sky Turned to Dust is a must-read book that will keep middle schoolers, teenagers, families, and classrooms turning the pages with their hearts in their throats." —Reviewed by Megan Weiss for Reader Views
"When the Sky Turned to Dust by Catherine Matthias is a heart-wrenching yet extraordinary and inspiring middle-grade historical novel. Told through the eyes of a young girl determined to fight for her family, home, and life, this book is impeccably crafted and well-written, exploring themes of strength, resilience, loss, grief, family, and survival. It's a must-read about living through the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl, wonderfully depicting in great detail the terror and disaster caused by drought, heat, cold, dust, and storms that affected many people and also one family's ability to ensure their survival and hold on to their hope, strength, happiness, and even their farm in a time when many families lost theirs." —Reviewed by Emma Megan for Reader Views
This information about When the Sky Turned to Dust was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Catherine Matthias is the author of The Word Gobblers – A Handbook for Parents Working With Children Struggling to Read, and six early reader picture books published in English and Spanish by Scholastic. Her nonfiction titles are I Can Be a Police Officer and I Can Be a Computer Operator. Her fiction titles are Over-Under, Out the Door, I Love Cats and Too Many Balloons.
If you liked When the Sky Turned to Dust, try these:
by Karen Russell
Published 2026
From Pulitzer finalist, MacArthur Fellowship recipient, and bestselling author of Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove Karen Russell: a gripping dust bowl epic about five characters whose fates become entangled after a storm ravages their small Nebraskan town.
A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe
by Mahogany L.. Browne
Published 2026
In this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon.
Grief, ...
by Patrick Ryan
Published 2025
"A small-town novel of epic proportions" (Tom Perrotta), this captivating story weaves the intimate lives of two midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century.
If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
