When the Sky Turned to Dust

A sister and brother fight for their family, their land, and their lives. On April 14, 1935, a day that would become known as Black Sunday, the largest storm ever recorded sweeps through Kansas. When twelve-year-old Caroline is separated from her nine-year-old brother, Daniel, she braves the treacherous conditions to save both their lives.

During America's Great Depression, devastating drought and violent winds brought destruction and added hardship to the Midwest. When the Sky Turned to Dust follows the journey of the courageous Dolan family as they face the ultimate test of strength and resilience, and struggle to survive on the unforgiving prairie. As the storms rage on, their crops fail, and tragedy strikes. The Dolan family must come together like never before to overcome their greatest challenge and deepest grief. If you enjoyed the heart-wrenching tale of survival in Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse and Cimarron Girl by Mike Blanc, you won't want to miss When the Sky Turned to Dust. Includes classroom resources and dictionary of unusual terms.

2026 Will Rogers Medallion, First Place Award, Young Adult Fiction.

2026 Eric Hoffer Book Award, First Place, Middle Reader.

National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist, Juvenile Fiction.

Chanticleer International Book Awards Finalist: LARAMIE Division recognizing outstanding works in the Western, First Nations, and Americana genre.

Author: Catherine Matthias
Publisher: Moon Glow Books LLC
Published: 06/21/2025
Pages: 210
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.55lbs
Size: 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9798231563296
Audience: Ages 9-12

About the Author
Matthias, Catherine: - "

Catherine Matthias is the author of six early reader picture books published in English and Spanish by Children's Press, an imprint of Scholastic Books. The two nonfiction books, titled I Can Be a Police Officer and I Can Be a Computer Operator, are part of a career series. The four fiction titles are Over-Under, Out the Door, I Love Cats, and Too Many Balloons.

Her nonfiction adult book, The Word Gobblers - a handbook for parents working with children struggling to read, published by Square One Publishers, 2021, NY, is a natural extension of her work as an Irlen Syndrome Screener, her picture book writing, and her desire to see all children enjoy reading, by addressing the medically-based causes and symptoms of the condition and providing parents and teachers with tools to identify the problem and relieve the physical and emotional symptoms.

Catherine lives with her husband, Stewart Jones, in rural Joseph, Oregon.

"In the brief first chapter, you've grabbed me by the lapels and dragged me into the story, and I'm ready to follow you anywhere. As a reader, I sense the solid research that underpins the story." -

From the critique by Heather Vogel Frederick, author of more than 20 books, including The Mother-Daughter Book Club series.

"Your depiction of the Dust Bowl is a real triumph. It's richly imagined and thoroughly researched. You portray these real people as imperfect, but generous and kind... capable of loving through whatever life throws at them, and demonstrating the value above all else of sharing and sticking together in hard times." - From the critique by Karen Fisher, author of A Sudden Country, a Pen/Faulkner Finalist.

"

This title is not returnable