WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW: A NOVEL ABOUT THE DUST BOWL, by Alyssa Colman, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), Aug. 19, 2025, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
A sister and brother face one of the most dangerous storms in American history in Where Only Storms Grow, by Alyssa Colman.
It’s been four years since rain fell on the Oklahoma panhandle and the closeness between the Stanton twins has dried up as much as the land. Howe Stanton has been practicing running away and longs for the family to quit this land of dust where only troubles grow. Despite the scoliosis that causes Joanna Stanton near-constant pain, she isn’t ready to give up like her brother. But when Daddy leaves the family behind to find work in California, saving the farm from ruin falls on Howe’s unwilling and Joanna’s uneven shoulders.
To pay the mortgage, Joanna takes a job at the local hospital and discovers purpose in helping others. Howe finds unexpected joy in caring for his father’s horse and escapes in a borrowed book.
But then a tragedy in town reveals the dust’s deadly dangers. With the worst storm of the Dust Bowl bearing down on their home, Howe and Joanna must put aside their differences and work together, or everyone and everything they love will be lost to the dust. —Synopsis provided by Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)
Where Only Storms Grow is a fantastic middle-grade historical fiction novel that takes place during the Dust Bowl.
The story unfolds through the dual perspectives of Howe and Joanna. Joanna’s life is ruled by her scoliosis. It — and her parent’s reaction to it — dictates everything she does. Howe’s life is ruled by the farm. All he wants to do is learn and the farm gets in the way. The twins’ stories are compelling both individually and together. And when they interact with what has almost become a third character — the dust storms — the story sings.
Author Alyssa Colman deftly sets each scene, dropping readers into the dry, blowing grit that coats everything. I found the bits about preparing the Stanton home for a coming storm fascinating. And the cleanup afterward — almost like shoveling snow after a blizzard — is surreal.
Where Only Storms Grow is a fast-paced, suspenseful read that brings this time and place to life. This would be an excellent classroom read.
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