Billie Jo tells of her life in Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl: Her mother dies after a gruesome accident caused by her father's leaving a bucket of kerosene near the stove; Billie Jo is partially responsible—fully responsible in the eyes of the community—and sustains injuries that seem to bring to a halt her dreams of playing the piano. Finding a way through her grief is not made easier by her taciturn father, who went on a drinking binge while Billie Joe's mother, not yet dead, begged for water. Told in free-verse poetry of dated entries that span the winter of 1934 to the winter of 1935, this is an unremittingly bleak portrait of one corner of Depression-era life. In Billie Jo, the only character who comes to life, Hesse (The Music of Dolphins, 1996, etc.) presents a hale and determined heroine who confronts unrelenting misery and begins to transcend it. The poem/novel ends with only a trace of hope; there are no pat endings, but a glimpse of beauty wrought from brutal reality.
If Beyoncé has taught us anything, it’s that girls run the world (and that pants are optional, but putting a ring on it is not). And since March is Women’s History Month, which celebrates the accomplishments of women in both history and contemporary society, we’re highlighting books about strong girls who can tackle anything, from […]
I’ve learned more about the past from reading historical fiction than from classroom lectures; when details are part of a story, they stick much better in the mind. And historical fiction can make the reader care about the past and its people, so that when facts are offered in school, there’s an emotional framework to […]
Summer is winding down, but there’s still time to take a road trip! Make your way across the vast United States, taking in all the beautiful scenery it offers with the windows rolled down and the wind in your hair. And if a real road trip is out of the question, plot your ideal road […]
A.L. Sonnichsen’s Red Butterfly is a moving middle grade novel in verse about an orphaned girl in modern-day China who discovers the meaning of family. As we celebrate language and poetry for National Poetry month, we chatted with the author about her experience writing in verse, her memories as a young reader and writer, and […]