Where Only Storms Grow: A Novel About the Dust Bowl

Gr 4-8–Colman offers readers a poignant and compassionate tale of two twins surviving the 1930s Dust Bowl in Oklahoma. Joanna and Howe Stanton were once very close, but life in Oklahoma’s dust bowl is difficult and as the two have grown up, they’ve grown apart. Joanna struggles with scoliosis and Howe struggles to keep his love of writing a secret. When their father leaves for California to keep the family farm afloat, Joanna and Howe must battle injuries, diseases, and black blizzards to stay alive. The two discover inner strength, trust, and learn both how to help others and ask for help themselves. Readers will be swept into the dusty setting of 1935 and be encouraged to grow in their understanding and empathy for people of the past. Joanna and Howe’s individual and combined journeys are tastefully crafted, and the danger and adversity they face keeps the plot moving steadily, as readers, alongside characters, wonder if things will ever get better for the Stanton twins. Luckily, Ruby the chicken and the twins’ teacher Miss Landis provide some much-needed humor and hope. The Stanton twins are cued white.