A powerful story of the devastation of the Dust Bowl—and the courage of those who survived it—in the tradition of Out of the Dust.
We came all the way from California to make something of ourselves.
Today’s the day we start.
California, 1939. After years of drought and dust and failed crops, ten-year-old Meadowlark and her family have fled the Oklahoma Dust Bowl for a not-so-sunny welcome in California. Signs read OKIES, KEEP OUT! and NO JOBS IN CALIFORNIA. At school, kids whisper Go back to Oklahoma! Lark would give anything to go back to where she came from, but she can’t: the dust storms destroyed everything. The farm labor camp where she, her parents, and her siblings live in a tent is her life now.
Can California really be “the land of milk and honey” she was promised? More than that. . . can it ever be home?
Just when Lark thinks she cannot survive another day or another disappointment, a glimmer of hope arrives in the form of an innovative new school—a school just for the labor camp kids.
Mindy Nichols Wendell’s sophomore historical middle-grade novel is a heartfelt, powerful, and incredibly well-written story of resilience, pride, and tenacity in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
Coming August 11, 2026.
