Out of the Dust is a series of poems that tell the story of fourteen year old Billie Jo and her family living in Oklahoma in the mid-1930s, during the dust bowl.  Billie Jo’s dad is a wheat farmer who hasn’t had a decent crop in three years.  There is a drought and money and food are short.  Billie Jo is a pianist and makes some money on the side playing piano, but when an accident ruins her hands, and grasshoppers eat the rest of the wheat, her family is left with nothing.

This book is heartbreaking and beautiful.  While the desperation of the dust bowl is evident, the kindness and goodness of the characters is unmistakable.  Out of the Dust shows not only the physical hardship of the Great Depression, but also the emotional cost of the extreme poverty experienced by hardworking farmers and the hope and perseverance that characterizes Billie Jo’s family.  The series of poems suck you in and tell a story that is a fast paced read.  Billie Jo is a great character and her voice is authentic, both in terms of the story she tells and her perspective as a teenager living through a difficult time.  I highly recommend it, and so does our staff-- enough that it has been chosen as a One Book, One Community selection for Darien in 2010. 

One Book, One Community is a season-long series of events that encourages everyone in town to read the same book and come together to explore the themes.

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For the girls of Houston’s high society, nothing is more important than to secure an invitation to become a debutante.  A high school senior’s debut is her entry into the power elite of Houston’s society women: an old girls network that can be used for anything from attracting the right husband to ensuring support for a political or social cause.  Only ten girls debut each year, and for Laura Bell, it has meant a summer “fat camp” (her mom’s idea) trying unsuccessfully to whittle her size fourteen frame down from “debu-tank” to debutante.  Not that Laura cares about her size- she’s beautiful, confident, and attracts some of the hottest guys, much to the dismay of the queen of mean Jo Lynn Bidwell.  Jo Lynn is willing to go to any lengths to prevent Laura from becoming a deb, but with her two best friends to support her, Laura may be able to beat Jo Lynn at her own backstabbing game.

The Debs is a fast and amusing read.  Laura and the rest of the girls live in a luxurious world ruled on the surface by old-fashioned Southern morality, while privately risking their “good girl” status on wild parties and acts that could lead to blackmail and catfights.  If you like this, you will also like the sequel: The Debs: Love, Lies and Texas Dips.  
 

Kyra has lived her entire life as one of The Chosen Ones, a group of families living on a compound in the desert. 

She has three mothers, her father’s three wives, and twenty brothers and sisters, with two more on the way.   They are not allowed books, except the Bible, television, or contact with the outside world.  When the Prophet and his Apostles announce a visit to Kyra’s family, they are excited and hopeful that Kyra’s father has been chosen to join the Apostles.  The family is shocked to learn that the reason for the visit is that the Prophet has had a vision from God that thirteen year old Kyra is to become the seventh wife of one of the Apostles: her father’s sixty year old brother Hyrum.  Kyra immediately rejects the idea in her heart and mind, but the Prophet is the voice of God to her family, and disobedience is not tolerated.

The Chosen One is a great read.  Kyra is caught in an impossible situation, and works through every possible solution.  The Prophet and Apostles are terrifying, and Kyra’s family powerless.  As the book progresses, Kyra’s situation becomes more and more desperate, as she learns more about Uncle Hyrum, and as she realizes more about the nature of The Prophet and Apostles.  This book shows clearly how abuse, isolation and ignorance can be used to control people, and Kyra's thinking is fascinating as she realizes how far she will have to go to avoid marrying her uncle.