Told in free verse in the spare and haunting voice of 14-year-old Billie Jo Kelby, "Out of the Dust" is a journey to the heart of a family caught in the Oklahoma dust-bowl.

It is the story of Ma, who sees the idea of herself burn away with every parched day, until she herself is consumed by fire.

It is the story of Bayard, her husband, who cannot comes to terms with his failure to produce, to provide.

But most of all, it is the story of Billie Jo who must find a way to get out of the dust, even if it means leaving behind everything she has ever loved.