Where Only Storms Grow: A Novel about the Dust Bowl - Hardcover

by Alyssa Colman (Author)

SCHNEIDER FAMILY BOOK AWARD WINNER ● For Fans of the I Survived series and The War That Saved My Life, this gripping middle grade novel is set during one of the most dangerous storms in American history.

It's been four years since rain fell on the Oklahoma panhandle and the closeness between the Stanton twins has dried up as much as the land. Howe Stanton has been practicing running away and longs for the family to quit this land of dust where only troubles grow. Despite the scoliosis that causes Joanna Stanton near-constant pain, she isn't ready to give up like her brother. But when Daddy leaves the family behind to find work in California, saving the farm from ruin falls on Howe's unwilling and Joanna's uneven shoulders.

To pay the mortgage, Joanna takes a job at the local hospital and discovers purpose in helping others. Howe finds unexpected joy in caring for his father's horse and escapes in a borrowed book.

But then a tragedy in town reveals the dust's deadly dangers. With the worst storm of the Dust Bowl bearing down on their home, Howe and Joanna must put aside their differences and work together, or everyone and everything they love will be lost to the dust.

Don't miss Alyssa Colman's other books: The Gilded Girl and The Tarnished Garden

Author Biography

Alyssa Colman is an award-winning author who writes heartwarming stories for kids. Her novel, Where Only Storms Grow, won the 2026 American Library Association's Schneider Family Book Award, the 2026 Josette Frank Award, and is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. Her other books include The Tarnished Garden and The Gilded Girl, both historical tales with a magical twist. Alyssa is a graduate of Wake Forest University and resides in Virginia.