This book is set in the Oklahoma Panhandle during the Depression years and the dust storms that devastated the area. Billie Jo is a fourteen-year-old teenager whose dream is to become a famous pianist. Her life takes a tragic turn when her pregnant mother and unborn brother die in a kitchen fire. While trying to help her mother, her hands get seriously burned, shattering her most beloved dream. For the following two years, a series of misfortunes affect Billie Jo in such a degree that she decides to flee her hometown and head west. Her journey would only reveal her inability to forget her roots and what is left of her family, forcing her return home.
Karen Hesse is a renowned author of books for children and a Newberry Medal
Karen Hesse is a renowned author of books for children and a Newberry Medal