Ruthie's Dusty Path to Courage

Ruthie lives on a prairie farm where the sky hasn’t rained in years. The wind blows dust all around them, and the crops are long gone. It’s the 1930s, deep in the Dust Bowl, and Ruthie’s family is struggling to hang on.

Her father calls it a battle—against dust storms, drought, and even grasshoppers. He says they’re fighting with courage and hope. But Ruthie doesn’t feel very brave.

It doesn’t help that her big brother, Roy, loves to scare her with creepy critters and spooky stories. Or tha...