About this item
This gripping story, written in sparse first-person, free-verse poems, is the compelling tale of Billie Jo's struggle to survive during the dust bowl years of the Depression. With stoic courage, she learns to cope with the loss of her mother and her grieving father's slow deterioration. There is hope at the end when Billie Jo's badly burned hands are healed, and she is able to play her beloved piano again. The 1998 Newbery Medal winner.
About the Author
Karen S. Hesse (born August 29, 1952) is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings.She won the Newbery Medal for Out of the Dust (Scholastic, 1997) .Bio from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Photo courtesy of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation [CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0) ], via Wikimedia Commons.
