Hesse, Karen. (1997). Out of the Dust. New York: Scholastic.

Book Cover

This novel is about a girl, Billie Jo, living in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl years of 1934-1935. The beginning of the story focuses on her father's wish for a son, but is stuck with loving her, a daughter. The family also is affected by dust storms that harm the family farm in which Billie Jo lives on. A big fire happens from a kerosene lamp, in which Billie Jo tries to help by throwing it out of the house, but she accidentally hits her mother. Her mother is saved from the fire, but she does not ever look like herself again. Later, both her mother and newborn baby brother, Franklin, die from childbirth. As Billie Jo begins to suffer separating herself from her father, she ends up leaving "the dust." Billie Jo learns her lesson of family and belonging from a man she meets while hitchhiking. In the end, she returns home and calls her father "Daddy" for the first time since her mother's death. The dust storms end, and her and her father begin to gain closeness again.
This story would be perfect to teach about the hardships of the Dust Bowl years. It is a subject not often taught or discussed within Elementary Education, so I think it would be neat to use this novel to discuss life during these years. It would also be good to incorporate a discussion on family importance and belonging. Another thought I had would be to teach this around Thanksgiving and teach children that even within the hardest of lives, we can find something to be thankful for.
The following is an example of a 6th grade unit for this novel: http://www.louisianabelieves.com/docs/default-source/teacher-toolbox-resources/unit-plan-english-language-arts-grade-6-sample-out-of-the-dust.pdf?sfvrsn=7
The following is an example of a history lesson for this novel (I like this because I can learn along with my students): http://www.loc.gov/teachers/classroommaterials/lessons/dust/index.html