Dust

October 1, 2024
Grades 8-12 It's the omnipresent dust that surprises 16-year-old, hearing-impaired Thea when her family moves from Ohio to their new, isolated farm in southern Colorado's Bloodless Valley. Indeed, "dust was my company," she says ruefully. The constant dust and lack of water make farming difficult, especially since her father values simplicity and farms the old way, keeping his family close, so Thea is surprised when he permits her to take a job at their tiny town's diner. It is there that she meets Sam, the county's outreach agent, and then his great-nephew Ray, who is visiting for the summer. Ray is hearing impaired like Thea, and not surprisingly, the two become infatuated. Soon, Thea is secretly accompanying Sam and Ray on visits to other isolated residents offering help. Unfortunately, when Thea's father discovers this, he forbids her to leave the farm. But when the grandfather of all dust storms arrives, things change dramatically. Stine (Trashlands, 2021) has written an appealing book, doing an excellent job with setting and characterization. And that dust storm is a doozy!

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October 15, 2024
A 16-year-old girl living in a slightly alternate history faces coercive control and a new Dust Bowl. Back in rural Ohio, Thea was already different--deaf in one ear and homeschooled. But now her father has moved the family to a farm in a dry, dusty Colorado valley, and her so-called unschooling consists mainly of working on the farm, where her father allows no modern clothing, internet access, or library books. But the family needs money, so Thea is allowed to work at the tiny cafe in town, where she secretly begins to connect with the wider community, including Ray, a Deaf boy her age. Through skillful prose, Stine weaves together the threads of Thea's coming-of-age story: her dawning understanding of ableism, her search for self and community outside her family, and her desire to understand and give back to the world. The narrative builds a creeping sense of dread like a gathering storm, exploring the twin horrors of climate change and abusive control as the dust storms increase in intensity, water dwindles, locusts swarm, and the farm produces nothing but a few potatoes. Thea's father is a man who's increasingly radicalized, stockpiling food and guns and tightening his control over his family, but disappointingly, the resolution of his behavior is all too pat, ending this otherwise excellent and intense novel on a flat note. Thea presents white; Ray has brown skin and straight dark hair. Gripping and emotional. (author's note)(Fiction. 12-16)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2024

Gr 9 Up-Thea's father's increasing obsession with living off-the-grid takes them from Ohio to a run-down home in southeastern Colorado. The dry, hot, lonely land is not easy to farm, and their lifestyle isolates them, all the while the endless dust creeps into every aspect of their lives. Schooling stops, and 16-year-old Thea is now working in the local caf�. Thea was born deaf in one ear and has always struggled to be a part of the hearing world; her father denies that it is a disability. With each new constriction her father places on the family, Thea's loneliness grows. Louisa, the wise owner of the caf�, sparks a solution by sending Thea to the small library-one of her father's "off-limits" zones-to deliver a package. There she meets Ray, his great-uncle Sam, and others who make up the small community. Ray, who also has hearing loss and knows how to sign, helps Thea open up. As small dust storms begin and soon become a storm reminiscent of the Dust Bowl, Thea and Ray band with others to ensure everyone's safety. The use of underlined spaces to indicate specific words that Thea cannot hear gives many readers an idea of how hearing loss works and how the inability to hear impacts not only the teen but also their friends and loved ones. VERDICT This coming-of-age novel is poetic with vivid descriptions and comes highly recommended.-Connie Williams

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 16, 2024
Hard-of-hearing Thea, 16, feels isolated: her family refuses to learn American Sign Language, and with no internet or phone access, she has no way of contacting the friends she left behind in Ohio following her family’s abrupt move to a homestead in Bloodless Valley, Colo. What’s more, her father’s extremist views around farming, school, and gender roles have only worsened since the move. Her solitary solace is her job at a local café where her boss encourages her to spend time at the library across the street. There, Thea meets a rural outreach agent and his cute great-nephew Ray, 16 and also hard of hearing. Thea has never met another deaf teen before and is intrigued by Ray and his ability to sign. As Thea forges tentative relationships with the people around her, she also begins falling for Ray. Soon dust storms, locust swarms, and water shortages threaten her family’s farm, and with her parents refusing help, Thea worries for their survival. In her YA debut, Stine (Trashlands, for adults) pulls from personal experience, as detailed in an author’s note, to craft an atmospheric,
speculative exploration of climate change through the lens of one deaf teen’s experiences. Characters cue as white. Ages 13–up. Agent: Eric Smith, PS Literary.