(1) 4-6 Evicted from their Oklahoma farm in the midst of the Dust Bowl, the Willard family strikes out for California looking for work as migrant pickers. Scrappy Gloria Mae, the youngest child, tells the story, and Schrempp admirably never wavers from her perspective. Not fully understanding the scope of their circumstances, Gloria resents the move and the loss of all she knows, particularly her dream of playing baseball. She's good enough; even Pa admits, "You got the arm of a boy twice your size." When they arrive at a California peach orchard, they encounter despicable conditions: an unsafe working environment, low pay, squalid housing, and long hours. To quash dissent, managers intimidate the workers, forbidding group meetings, locking down the compound, and increasing police presence. For Gloria these are only background issues (she thinks that the forbidden "organizing" has something to do with arranging peaches); she has discovered the existnce of a baseball team at the orchard and vows to play. After a child is seriously injured in the orchard, Pa, who previously avoided all conflict, now believes that a strike is the only option for better working conditions. Gloria's struggles to join the team and her father's desire for change coalesce in Ma's words: "When you don't fight for what you deserve, the world just digs its heel into you a little bit more." An informative author's note adds historical context.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022

(3) 4-6 Survivor Diaries series. When twelve-year-old twins Ashley and Ryan are caught in an avalanche on a skiing trip in Wyoming's Grand Teton Mountains, Ashley's quick-thinking and instinctual decision-making help them survive. On a sixth-grade geocaching field trip in New Mexico, former best friends Jen and Martin must rely on each other when they're separated from their class during a dust storm. These well-paced and easy-to-read wilderness stories integrate real survival techniques; region-specific tips are also appended. Review covers these Survivor Diaries titles: Avalanche! and Dust Storm!.

Reviewer: Rita Soltan

(2) YA In 2065, sixteen-year-old Adri Ortiz relocates to Kansas for training as a Mars colonist; moving into an old family farmhouse, she discovers the Dust Bowl–era journal of a woman named Cathy and a collection of WWI letters sent to Cathy's mother. Adri becomes engrossed in these more-than-a-century-old strangers' lives--even as she prepares to leave Earth forever. Anderson vividly captures each of the eras in three distinctive narratives.

Reviewer: Sarah Rettger | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2017

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Gary Kelley. Twelve-year-old Calvin's farming family endures drought, dust storms, and poverty during the Dust Bowl, clinging to the belief that "next year" will be better. Rain comes too late for his parents to remain, but now-sixteen-year-old Calvin stays to revitalize the farm, looking forward to "next year." The poignant, poetic text and atmospheric dust-hued illustrations serve as a paean to farmers' indomitable spirits.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jonathan Bean. In this hymn to contemporary cowboys, a sentence beginning with "real cowboys..." introduces each new task or scene ("Real cowboys are patient..."). Young cowpokes will appreciate the seriousness given to their passion, an apparent respect shared by Bean's dramatic illustrations. With details that verge on the abstract, each page turn comes as a visual surprise. The book ends with an existential turn.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2017

(3) K-3 This or That? Weather series. Full-page photos and clear scientific explanations illustrate the differences between similar weather phenomena. For example, a blizzard is distinguished from a winter storm by its high winds; although both are composed of water droplets, a cloud forms in the air and fog forms near the ground. A summary of similarities and differences and a practical hands-on experiment are provided at the end of each book. Glos. Review covers the following This or That? Weather titles: Cloud or Fog?, Tidal Wave or Tsunami?, Winter Storm or Blizzard?, Hail or Freezing Rain?, Hurricane or Waterspout?, and Tornado or Dust Devil?

Reviewer: Paula M. Cairo

(1) YA In this bleak yet compelling graphic novel–style glimpse at the Dirty Thirties, Brown crisply paces the narrative with fascinating glimpses of the sociological and geological causes of the Dust Bowl. Brown relies, aptly, almost entirely on shades of brown throughout his dramatic pictures. Primary source material is used liberally, as characters speak directly to the reader, documentary-style. Bib.

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2013

(2) YA American Fairy series. The Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and Celtic fairy-lore come together when Callie learns that her long-absent father was not just a charming African American jazz musician but a prince of fairyland. When her Mama is whisked away in a whirl of dust and magic, Callie sets off to retrieve her. An intelligent, imaginative concoction with a vivid setting and an engaging protagonist.

Reviewer: Deirdre F. Baker | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(3) YA In the 1930s Dust Bowl, Jack and his two neighbors steal a truck and head for East Texas after sandstorms decimate their land and lead to their parents' deaths. Bumbling along road and rail, the trio meets notorious bank robbers, friendly hoboes, a deranged sheriff, and a peculiar carnival strongman. Quirky characters and authentic-sounding, dialect-heavy narration make for an insightful historical road novel.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(2) K-3 Illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky. Angelica Longrider, a.k.a. Swamp Angel, returns, this time in 1831 Montana. When a dust storm strikes, Angel rides the whirlwind; in its midst she finds a giant horse who carries her in pursuit of some outlaws. Zelinsky makes the comical most of outlaw leader Backward Bart and his band (mounted on oversize mosquitoes).

Reviewer: Barbara Bader | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(3) 4-6 Although Marrin strays from his theme that the Dust Bowl of the 1930s was "the worst environmental disaster in American history," his detour, gratifyingly, covers a lot of interesting ground. The chronology of events is illustrated with dramatic archival photographs and a large number of sidebars that provide readers with background and context about the times. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Betty Carter

(1) 4-6 Phelan's graphic novel brings 1937 drought-wracked Kansas to life, adding a supernatural twist. While exploring an abandoned barn, eleven-year-old Jack encounters a mysterious, threatening figure. Phelan's minimalist text complements masterful panel pacing. His stunning palette of sepias, dusty browns, and charcoal grays perfectly evokes the desolate landscapes of the Dust Bowl and makes the occasional pop of color that much more striking.

Reviewer: Claire E. Gross | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(4) 1-3 On My Own History series. Illustrated by Laurie Harden. Ten-year-old Orry Jenkins and his younger stepsister, Mildred, nearly suffocate when they're caught in the Black Sunday dust storm of 1935. This simply told story, which introduces independent readers to the Dust Bowl, conveys the storm's intensity and destruction. Harden's stiff illustrations look oddly dated. An author's note and afterword provide more historical background. Bib.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(2) 4-6 Forty-five double-page spreads detail the political, human, and environmental conditions and consequences of the 1930s Dust Bowl devastation. Archival photographs illustrate each section with breathtaking impact in terms of both composition and subject; Sandler also (indirectly) presents an outline of photographic history. Loosely organized, the sections stand alone, but the detailed index allows readers to find particular information quickly. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Betty Carter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2010

(4) YA Essential Events series. This book chronicles hardships in the American Southwest during the Great Depression. The collapse of the financial markets, the severe drought and devastating dust storms, the subsequent crop failures, and the influx of hordes of families to California and Oregon are reported in straightforward text. Sidebars and numerous archival photographs enhance the narrative, though the design is crowded. Reading list, timeline. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Luther B. Clegg

(3) YA Great Historic Disasters series. Combining first-hand accounts, photographs, and other primary sources with a detailed and lively text, these fact-packed resources offer much to both report writers and history buffs. Each book compellingly details the causes, historical context, and aftermath of these historic disasters. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Great Historic Disasters titles: The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, The Johnstown Flood of 1889, The Dust Bowl, and The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(3) 4-6 The words and spirits of John Steinbeck and Woody Guthrie permeate this narrative about the Great Depression and how it affected Americans in the 1930s, especially those migrating to California to escape the Dust Bowl. Stark historical black-and-white photos, accompanied by short captions, effectively complement the text. This unusual social history will stay with young readers. Reading list, websites. Ind.

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(3) 4-6 My Name Is America series. In his journal, thirteen-year-old C.J. Jackson writes of his farm family's experiences traveling from Oklahoma to California in 1935. The narrative gives a vivid picture of the grim life of Dust Bowl migrants: looking for back-breaking, low-wage work, living in "Hooverville" camps, and coping with prejudice. Accompanied by archival black-and-white photos, an afterword offers additional historical information.

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang

(4) 4-6 Dear America series. Grace records her experiences living in the Texas panhandle in 1935. The sixth-grader grieves when her best friend's family leaves for California. She also begins accompanying her mother, a nurse, to the hospital, where she assists the staff and becomes friends with a doctor's son. A historical afterword and photos accompany the touching, if somewhat overly sweet, story.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 In American History series. Each of the books in this series attempts to delineate the numerous causes and significant events that helped form a specific era in American history. These three books feature black-and-white photos and illustrations of uneven quality, boxed quotes from source documents, and timelines. Bib., ind. [Review covers these In American History titles: Jamestown, John Smith, and Pocahontas in American History; The Harlem Renaissance in American History; The Dust Bowl and the Depression in American History.]

Reviewer: Lauren Aimonette LIang