There are not many books that can balance a great story and historical fiction at the same time - but this one did!
It was easy to become immersed in the land, the storms, the dust and the grit. You felt like you were experiencing it along with the characters. And it was really eye opening to get an almost "first hand" account of what happened during that time. The author did a great job pulling references from that period of time to make the story very realistic.
The story itself of a family and a community working together and sometimes apart to try to survive this hostile climate during the dust bowl years. Every character was someone you would like to know better. They had such depth and personalities. It would be hard to pick a favorite.
Don't pass this one up! It is well worth your time.
Enjoy!

Joanna and Howe are twins living on their Oklahoma farm in the middle of the Dust Bowl. Joanna resents being treated as fragile because of her scoliosis and Howe resents missing out on educational opportunities to work on the farm. When their father heads west to look for work and their older brother is injured, the both shoulder more responsibility. Joanna finds purpose nursing at the hospital and Howe finds respite from his farm chores in poetry. Together they weather the storms of dust threatening their whole community.

This is a compelling and suspensful historical fiction novel. Both protagonists are engaging and sympathetic. Excerpts of Howe's poetry throughout the novel add layers of detail and depth to the narrative.

📖 Where Only Storms Grow 📖 by Alyssa Colman

My latest #NetGalley eARC is a middle grade novel set during the Dust Bowl. I adore reading middle grade novels. They make my heart happy, even when they are about difficult times 😊

It's 1935 in rural Oklahoma. Teenage twins, Joanna and Howe, live and work on their family's drought stricken farm. Joanna, recently diagnosed with scoliosis and Howe, a secretly aspiring poet, are stunned when their father takes a job in California to continue to provide for the family. This leaves them to help out more on the farm in his absence. Joanna is eager to prove she can help despite her health troubles. Howe is reluctant to leave school and his studies to help on the farm. Each faces the challenges of their new responsibilities, but can they hold on long enough for rain to come?

I learned so much about the Dust Bowl reading this novel. I admit I didn't really know what it really referred to other than occurring during The Great Depression. I didn't know things were actually covered in mounds of dust in the Midwest states for years 😳 It was interesting to have this little perspective on such a difficult time period in American history. I'm now going to do a deep dive on the web & learn more 👍

This is a great middle grade novel to read in general but also as part of American history. It'd be a great book to read in a classroom setting 👩‍🏫

Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

#alyssacolman
#whereonlystormsgrow
#dustbowl #thegreatdepression #americanhistory #middlegradereads #middlegradenovel #middleschoolbooks #childrensfiction #books #reading #reader #coloradoreader #readersofinstagram #igbooks #booksofinstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagram #arc #theturquoisereadingroom

Thank you to Allyssa Colman and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Where Only Storms Grow.

While I have read a lot of historical fiction, this was my first book about the Dust Bowl. I was pulled into the story instantly. I loved this story. While Joanne's family faced numerous hardships and tragic experiences, they were resilient. They didn't let their circumstances keep them down, Joanne and Howe told alternating perspectives of their story. Besides the challenges of dust storms, Joanne and Howe faced their own personal challenges. Joanne was labeled fragile because of a Scholiosis diagnosis. There was very little information about her condition in her time. She had social issues such bullying and teasing because of her diagnosis. Howe felt misunderstood and struggled to find his place in the family. They both rose to push their obstacles out of the way as life got more difficult. They faced adult responsibilities and challenges without complaining or compromising. I love that Howe continued his education even when he was needed to run the farm. I learned so much from this book about the tragic Duat Bowl, Scholiosis, and this time period. It has a great message about stepping up for family and those around you.

I highly recommend this book. I cried and cheered. Despite their hardships, I enjoyed this book.

I'm so glad this author decided to write about the ones that stayed behind. I think this highlights many of the issues they faced and just how hard times got during the dust bowl. I never ever thought to consider people that had disabilities and what it ment for their families. With all the emotions in this book I'm glad the main family was left whole.

This gripping middle grade historical novel is set during one of the most dangerous storms in American history and readers get to experience it firsthand through the perspective of 12-year old twins. Parallel to the raging storm and difficult conditions on the land, each character is also going through something hard: one is battling scoliosis and the other trying to understand his role in the family when they don't seem to align together. This book is powerful and emotional and I learned a great deal about a time period that I thought I already knew about. This book makes you think, makes you feel and you'll want to keep these characters close for a while.

I was sucked into the story right away. It taught me so much about medicine, the Red Cross, scoliosis, the Dust Bowl, and how the time period was so devastating in American history. I loved the multiple narrators and how I couldn’t put the book down.

I absolutely loved this story! I was glued to the story from the beginning and wow!! Did I ever learn a lot!
I really loved the authors notes at the end. I can relate to scoliosis. I have it myself plus a curvature of the spine. It's no fun. It's why I related to Joanna so much. I hated that Dr. Winters.
I was so proud of Joanna!
Sometimes it's the little things or someone that can make a difference in someone's life. I found myself rooting for her.
This book made me feel like I was right there with Howe and Joanna. Especially during Black Sunday one of the worst storms in American history.
I could actually hear the roar of the wind and see the sparks flying. Made the hairs stand up for sure!
One of the reasons I enjoyed this story so much was the events. Not much is written about Black Sunday in fictional style.
This was my grandparents era. They never talked about much though and now I can see why.
This is the best coming of age or growing up story of middle grade fiction I've ever read. It's going on my shelf of favorites. Wow! What a job well done!! It was so realistic and believable too.
I didn't want it to end and I hope to see more from this author.
5 stars from me for an adventure during the dust bowl years. I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Where Only Storms Grow is told in the dual narrative perspective of twins, Joanna and Howe, offering insights into their experiences growing up during the Dust Bowl in 1935. Joanna also struggles with scoliosis, adding another layer to her personal journey of overcoming obstacles.

Reading about "Black Sunday," one of the worst dust storms in American history, was chilling, yet fascinating. I was riveted. This novel is a middle-grade novel that I couldn't get enough of! As Howe walked through their wheat fields, on rock-hard ground, filled with ankle-high rows of wheat stalks, some of which had been blackened by the static electricity of the storms, my heart broke. Not to mention having to use shovels to carry the dust out of their house, or dig their way out to open the door! I learned so much from Where Only Storms Grow!

I highly recommend this novel. It beautifully explores themes of family, resilience, courage, and overcoming immense challenges during one of the most difficult periods in American history.

Huge thanks to #FarrarStrausAndGiroux(BYR), for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Where Only Storms Grow has an expected publication date of August 19, 2025.

#AlyssaColman #DustBowl #BlackSunday #Family #Survival

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. Enjoy!

Great book. A little slow to start initially as there is a back and forth between perspectives of two twins. Definitely a good book for fans of the I Survived Series. A tale of family resilience during a period in history that isn't often written about in middle grade novels. A very believable story and while there were many challenges throughout the story, it was realistic and the characters were realistic and you weren't left with sadness at the end of the tale. Overall well written book. Some serious subjects, so I wouldn't go for kids younger than middle grades.

Author Alyssa Colman, takes her readers to Oklahoma during the 1930s Dust Bowl, through the eyes of twins Howe and Joanna. Joanna, deemed weak because of a scoliosis diagnosis, feels as though she is incapable of helping her family around the farm. To make matters worse, she is often made fun of at school. Her twin, Howe, loves school, reading, and writing poetry, and he had rather be doing that than helping out around the farm. When the family falls on hard times, their father must travel to California to find work, leaving the children and their mother at home to keep the farm running. This story of strength, courage, friendship, determination, family, and the ability to overcome is simply beautiful. The reader will laugh and cry and will connect with the family and the townspeople throughout the novel through the children's points of view. As a teacher, I will definitely be exposing my fourth graders to this novel. Be looking for it to hit shelves in August 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was such an enjoyable book!

At first I wasn't sure I liked the characters, but as the book went on they really grew on me. Especially Joanna. At the beginning, I thought she was kind of boring, but then when she started her job (I'll try not to spoil too much!) she got a lot more interesting and I really fell in love with her as a character. I enjoyed the time setting as well. I don't think I've read historical fiction about the great depression since the American Girl books about Kit that I read when I was like 10 years old. And I don't even think that included anything about the dust bowl.

The author really made the setting come alive with her descriptions about the dust storms and the hospital patients, and I really thought she did an excellent job making the story feel both realistic and heartbreaking while keeping it suitable for children. I also loved the relationship between Joanna and Howe's brother Lou and his girlfriend. They were super cute.

Except that I felt like things started out a little slower than I anticipated, I really feel like I have no complaints to make about this book. (And that part might just be me, honestly.)

I would definitely put this in the hands of any child.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. I had such a good time with this one!

I LOVED this book! It follows twins Joanna and Howe through the worst years of the Oklahoma dust bowl. As time goes along and the bank repossesses many farms, the twins see their classmates and extended family disappear from town.

Joanna has scoliosis, and is treated as though she will break; this angers her greatly. Howe, who used to be in sync with his twin, resents that he is stuck doing so much farmwork because his sister is so delicate. When their father goes out west for a job, the twins and their older brother stay back with their mother tending to the farm.

That's when the worst of the dusters occur and occur frequently. The little family faces additional hardship, and with the constant threat of illness due to the dust, they are desperate for their father's return.

While reading, I felt as though I too was struggling in the dust and grit, could hear the hacking coughs from the dust, and see the barren land.

I loved how both Joanna and Howe found their strengths and reconnected their twin bond through their new roles.

I gave this book 5 stars.

In Stormrise by Alyssa Colman, sibling tensions and personal trials unfold against the harrowing backdrop of the Dust Bowl. As drought grips the Oklahoma panhandle, twins Howe and Joanna Stanton struggle with loss, resilience, and growing up too fast. While Joanna battles physical pain and finds strength in service, Howe seeks escape but discovers purpose through unexpected connections. When tragedy strikes and a deadly storm looms, the twins must come together to save their family and farm. Gripping, heartfelt, and richly atmospheric, this historical middle-grade novel will resonate with fans of I Survived and The War That Saved My Life.

The following review was posted on 5.21.25:

WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW provides a vivid, haunting look at what it must have been like to be an Oklahoma farming family during the devastating Dust Bowl years. Joanna and Howe, 12-year-old twins, have to deal with not just the usual farming chores and struggles of childhood, but also with the fear and uncertainty that comes with living in poverty and fear. All around them, people are dying of dust pneumonia, abandoning their farms for a supposed better life out West, starving in bleak Hooverville encampments, and losing hope of life ever getting better. It tells an affecting, gripping story that teaches children about a troubling time in America's history that they may not know much about. The tale is engrossing with plenty of conflict and tension to keep it interesting.

As grim as its setting is, WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW is really a novel about finding hope in dark times. The story is realistic, but it never gets too dark for its young audience. Joanna and Howe both find meaning in working together and helping others, providing a good lesson about how to get through difficult times without abandoning charity and faith. With some humorous spots and a hopeful ending, the book is an uplifting, encouraging read that I very much enjoyed.

If this were a movie, it would be rated PG for scary situations and scenes of peril

Alyssa Colman’s WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW gives readers (of all ages but especially middle graders) a vivid glimpse of life in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Told through alternating viewpoints of twins Joanna and Howe Stanton, the books is rich in details of the dust storms that turned day into night and left drifts of dust that buried fence posts and caved in roofs of buildings. It shows the amazing resilience of the people who stayed on their farms and found ways survive conditions that are nearly unimaginable. But the book is about more than survival. It’s about growing up and finding your way—not just through a dust storm but through life.

Joanna, whose painful scoliosis has kept her on the sidelines of her own life, discovers she has a knack for nursing when her older brother suffers a serious injury and ends up in a makeshift Red Cross hospital. Befriended by the nurses who work there, Joanna finds strength she didn’t know she had. Joanna’s twin brother, Howe, is a secret poet who loves words, and school, and learning more than farmwork. and Joanna, who were once so close they shared the same thoughts, have drifted apart in recent months. But as troubles pile on troubles for their family, they realize they are stronger together than apart.

The book opens in the midst of a huge dust storm on April 14, 1935, a day that has come to be known as Black Sunday, Then Colman takes us back in time to three months earlier, filling in the details of the story, the characters, and the time period. Near the end of the book, we catch up to the beginning, as the author takes us through the biggest black blizzard of them all and its aftermath. Colman does a wonderful job of showing the reader the challenges of everyday life during the Dust Bowl I enjoyed the storyline about Joanna’s scoliosis and how it was viewed and treated (or not) in the 1930s. I loved the inclusion of Howe’s poetry (and Emily Dickinson’s). I also appreciated the information in the author’s note at the end and the warning that we should pay attention to the mistakes of the past to prevent us from making the same (or similar) mistakes again. The recent dust storm in Chicago underlines this warning.

WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW is a great new read for fans of historical fiction, the 1930s, and the perilous time known as the Dust Bowl.

Set during the dust bowl, Where Only Storms Grow follows 12-year-old twins Howe and Joanna Staunton as their family tries to survive and save their family farm. I appreciated the themes of family, friendship, and community highlighted throughout the book. It might be heavy for younger readers, but I’d recommend it for 6th graders and up.

This is a wonderful historical fiction novel set during the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It is told in dual perspectives by twins Joanna and Howe. At the start you can feel the tension between the siblings. Joanna has been diagnosed with scoliosis and as a result is overly protected by their mother which results in many frustrations and outbursts by Joanna. Howe just wants to be seen and appreciated for all of his help on the family farm, but instead finds himself picking up the slack when Joanna is unable to finish her chores.

Pretty quickly the family's desperate situation because of the financial hardships and the constant dust storms becomes clear. Their aunt and uncle lose part of the family farm and are forced to move to California to look for work taking Joanna and Howe's father with them. Now the twins, their older brother, and their mother are left to try to keep the farm running while their father searches for work out West. Circumstances continue to worsen both at the farm and in their town.

This book is a great view into the difficult times on the Great Plains during the 1930s. It also highlights the fighting spirit of the people who were left to fight for their lives and livelihoods. Both Joanna and Howe along with other characters show resilience, strength, and love for their families and fellow man. Both are characters to admire and ones that I will be happy to share with my students.

I love middle grade historical fiction and was excited to read Where Only Storms Grow. The story follows a family living in Oklahoma during the infamous Dust Bowl. I love the eye opening descriptions of what life may have looked like during this time in history. I found this story to be very informative and one that will likely help students develop empathy and gratitude. Where Only Storms Grow would be a good book to read aloud in the classroom. While it reads a little less exciting than the I Survived series, I still think students will find it enjoyable. I plan to purchase it for our school library and will be recommending to teachers. Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to preview this book.