Rating: 
Summary: Out Of The Dust
Review: In my opinion, Out Of The Dust was a great book. The perspective it gave on the Dust Bowl really made you think about what it must have been like. The main character, Billie Jo, was really interesting and not dried up and boring. Whenever she succecded, you celebrated with her. Whenever she went through pain, you felt for her. I really liked the way the book was written - in poems. Since it was written like this, I think it allowed the book to be more personal. What I didn't like about this book was the fact that Billie Jo often used confusing metaphors. She often compared her life to the dust, or the future to thr rain. That just gets confusing. I would reccomend this book for people 10 and up. It might be a little confusing for people under that age. That is why I would give Out Of the Dust a 4 out of 5. It is a really good book and worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: A Real-Life Situation
Review: I think this book offers great history, and good information about the dust bowl era. I begin to feel like I know Billie Jo personally, and because the book is her diary/journal, it provides a good description of her feelings. This novel makes me understand what happened in the thirties, and gives me a good understanding of how residents of the dust bowl dealt with their problems. The story is so credible because the action is so realistic. When Billie Jo's mother passed away, I felt like I was going through the same thing. I would give this novel a 10 out of 10! Karen Hesse really did a job with this book!
Rating:
Summary: Out of the Dust
Review: Out of the Dust was a very interesting book that I felt taught me a lot about the dust bowl; something I previously knew nothing about. You could see that there was a lot of research done by the author Karen Hesse which went into the making of the book just by all the descriptive language, and descriptions of the events which was used. It must have been challenging to write a descriptive novel about an event you've never experienced. The interesting form of writing was another way to show her feelings and thoughts during the dust bowl. It also helped to not drag the story out. This was a very good book that I would suggest to anyone interested in learning more about the dust bowl, or anyone who wants to see what a little girl thought about the changing times during the dust bowl.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the Dust - Well written but depressing
Review: The book Out of the Dust was a very intriguing book to read but also very depressing. This book wasn't very enjoyable to me because it made me sad to read a story about a girl, around my age, whose family just about disintegrates in the dust and she is left alone with no one but her speechless father to talk to. Although this book was not very enjoyable for me to read, it had some good morals to it. Leave the past behind you and work with the future was one of the morals I concluded from the story. The book also made me think about life how it was back in the 1930's and made me thankful for what I have now and how good I have it. Read the book Out of the Dust and you will be astonished by all of Billie Jo's heartbreaking tragedies she lives through.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the Dust
Review: I think that this book had a good story line. It informs the reader about the dustbowl and some of the actual events that took place. For example, the talent contest, dances, and other simple acts of kindness were all foound in the panhandle newspapers. I would rate this book a four star book because it is written very well and is very descriptive. Karen Hesse describes the dust storm in such a way that it makes you feel like you are in the action. I also thought that this book was very depressing. If I could rewrite this book, I would change the kerosene incident. It causes two deathes and a series of burns.
Rating:
Summary: Taste the Dust
Review: More than any other book I've read, this one woke up all the sences. If you ever wondered what it was like to live during this period of history, don't bother with nonfiction, this story makes history live.
Rating:
Summary: Hard Luck
Review: "And I strech my fingers over the keys and I play." This quote is of great signifigance because Billie Jo can finally play the piano again. It was a long hard road for Billie Jo Kelby. From running away to California or to watching her mother die it seemed that buried under tidal waves of dust and tons of dead wheat no luck would luck would ever come to her. All she had was ripped away when her scorche hands could not play the piano. I particularly liked all the metaphors and how Billie Jo beat the odds and succeeded. Some metaphors are "Ma was a column of fire"(Hesse, 61) and "brown earth rained down from the sky"(Hesse, 143). This book was not cheerful but extremely melancholy. This book is best suited for ages 12 and up.
Rating: 
Summary: Boring
Review: Frankly, I did not like this at all. I am surprised that so many people said that it was depressing and "compelling". I had to read this for school, and that was the only reason I finished at all. This book uses the same classic milksop storyline as do many. "Oh Daddy, we're going to lose the farm. But I still love you." I do give the author credit for her innovative way of writing the book, but at the same time it also made it worse. The way it was written lacked details in the more important things, like the whole scene where she runs away. I saw no real reason for her to leave, or return, except the author thought it would be interesting. Also at one part, she introduces a character by saying they died. I don't see how it pertains to the story at all.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book if you to fall asleep!
Review: "The dust stopped, and it snowed. Real snow." (Hesse, 90)In the book Out of the Dust my favorite poem is "Real Snow." This poem is full of great detail and descriptions, it really pulls you into it and makes you feel like you're out there with Billie Jo This poem is well-written and has a lot of meticulous detail in it. I like how it describes the snow and compares it to a lot of different things. I would think that this book is geared toward kids in their early teens. I am 14 and I understood some poems and I found some parts depressing, but others I found joyful and uplifting. The reason that I enjoyed this book was how the author, Karen Hesse wrote the book. She broke it up into poems and then broke them up further and put them into stanzas. It's much more interesting that way, than having it all combined into one story. Here is an example of how Hesse broke up a page into stanzas. Here is an example of her detail and how she really pulls you into the poem: "The women talked as they scrubbed death from our house. I stayed in my room silent on the iron bed, listening to their voices." That quote was from the poem called, "Blame." Hesse writes well and puts lots of meticulous details into her poems. The quote that I chose above is a good example of the detail that she puts into her poems. She makes you feel like you are there next to Billie Jo experiencing the depression and violent dust storms. Overall, this was a very compelling, yet sometimes depressing story of a family living in the time of the Dust Bowl.
Rating:
Summary: Out of the Dust
Review: "In the kitchen she is my mom, in the barns, in the fields she is my daddy's wife, but in the parlor she is something different." My favorite poem is dazzled. I like that poem because she talks about her family. Family is the most important thing in anybody's life. Billy Joe explains her parents in this poem. She talks about them as if they were her best friends. She also explains the important thing in her house, and tells whom they were given to and by whom. Billy Joe also tells how her mom taught her how to play the piano on her fifth birthday. I think that the book Out of the Dust should be read by middle school kids because a few parts are hard to understand. Karen Hesse wrote this poem with lots of free verse. I think that is what makes the book so well-written.
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