This book was everything I could want in a middle-grade, historical novel: wonderful characters, impeccable research, and a well-crafted story.

I've never had a book bring the Dust Bowl part of the Great Depression alive like this one did for me. The everyday experiences of citizens living there made me feel like I was part of that community and had me cheering for them and crying with them.

I especially loved the representation of scoliosis. My 13YO daughter was diagnosed with scoliosis last year, and I think this story gave her a better understanding of how she can either let her disease define her or motivate her. She told me this is now one of her favorite books.

Twins Howe and Joanna Stanton live in 1930 Oklahoman during the Dust Bowl. As farmers, their family is struggling to pay the bills as there is more dust storms than rain. Their father leaves to California with their uncle amd cousins to earn money to save their home, leaving them with their mother and older brother. Joanna suffers from scoliosis and thier doctor has pressed she must be careful so there is little she can do to help on the farm. Howe, though he relunctantly steps in to do what he can, including leaaving school, wants to be a poet and writer more than a farmer. When their older brother is injured, Howe must do more on the farm and Joanna goes to work with the Red Cross in their hospital helping with a measels outbreak and dust sickness where she meets a nurse who suffers from scoliosis as well. Once close, Joanna and Howe have grown apart, but the issues they deal with allow them to come back together. A unique historical fiction novel told from Howe's and Joanna's perspectives in a time many young readers may know little about. There is humor amidst all the tragedy that helps break through some of the dust for readers. A wonderful novel for historical fiction fans looking to learn about a different era they may know nothing about.

I really enjoyed this! The characters were so sweet and well-drawn, and I loved the worldbuilding and historical details Alyssa managed to fit into such a fast-paced, heartfelt book. I'll definitely be recommending this one, and first in line for whatever Alyssa writes next.


[NOTE: Unless otherwise stated, my NetGalley feedback is not a blurb or endorsement. If a publisher wishes to use any part of my comments for promotional purposes, please contact me or my agent via email. I would prefer not to include star ratings but NetGalley won't let me post without one, so all will be 5 stars.]

This historical fiction middle grade book is well written and kept my attention the entire time. I have always heard of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression in the context of those who left home. searching for work (Grapes of Wrath style), But this is the first time I’ve read about those who stayed behind to farm the land and tried to survive in near impossible circumstances,.
Joanna and her twin brother Howe alternate narrating the story and share their perspective as they grapple with school, helping out on their family farm and growing up. In addition, Joanna has scoliosis and Howe loves writing poetry, and their father has left in search of work before they lose their family farm. The twins must navigate hard challenges and save their family. I loved hearing both twins’ points-of-view! This is a beautiful novel that I’ll be recommending to my students and fellow librarians.

Alyssa Colman was a guest on my podcast, Meg’s Reading Room, to discuss WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/megs-reading-room/id1761060886?i=1000723062051

This is a fantastic middle grade book about those who stayed behind during the drought in the 30's that created what becomes known as The Dust Bowl. I was immersed in this story from page 1. I love a book that starts with an event happening and then we're transported back to a time leading up to that. Told from the dual POV of brother/sister twins, you get to see how this time period shaped and grew a whole generation. This book would be a great read for kids studying about the great depression and the dust bowl specifically. The characters captured my heart in the trials and tribulations they endured but also how they overcome through the power of hope and the growth they experienced.

I don't normally highlight but there were several quotes that were just so beautifully written, I wanted to share:

"Asking for help isn't giving up. It's refusing to give up."

"...I felt a funny sort of feeling in y chest. It took me a few moments to realize I felt happy, hopeful even. ..., there were little eggs of joy scattered about, almost ready to hatch."

"It was the biggest little thing in the world. (hearing the words) Thank you."

"I felt like we were sowing the seeds of something new between us. I hoped they would have time to grow."

"...the idea of being so necessary made me feel like I'd swallowed a sunbeam. I knew there'd be darkness ahead, but if I could keep that sunbeam with me, I'd be all right."

This would be a wonderful read aloud for homeschool families studying this time period. I highly recommend reading the author's note at the end of the book for more context of why she chose to write the story the way she did and what inspired her to write it.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC.

Where Only Storms Grow is a middle grade novel set post stock market crash, and in the Dust Bowl era. During this tragic period, many families living in the panhandle of Oklahoma loaded their possessions, abandoned their farms and moved to California seeking relief. This novel focuses on a fictional family who stayed, enduring hardship upon hardship.

The story is told from the perspectives of 12-year-old twins Joanna and Howe Stanton. While there is a mother and father and a grown brother named Lou, circumstances both necessary and unfortunate, cause much of the burden to save their family's farm to fall on the shoulders of these young twins. Joanna and Howe have very different personalities with their own unique struggles, values, and aspirations. Howe's dream of being a writer is frowned upon because words on paper won’t make crops grow and put food on the table. His passion for the written word, especially poetry, is vividly portrayed so readers are pulling for him as he reads a rarely obtained book of poems and then pens his own words in a journal he hides in the hayloft.

Howe's twin sister, Joanna, is just as endearing but in a different way. At a young age she was diagnosed with scoliosis. Her mother's concern for her condition is the reason she smothers Joanna who often feels frustrated and hopeless. She feels it’s her fault they can’t escape the dust because Doc, who most likely has never seen a child with scoliosis before, says she must lead a quiet, restful life and says she couldn’t survive the drive. But when she gets a job at the newly set up Red Cross hospital in the failed bank building, her world begins to open up for her.

I enjoyed and was inspired watching Joanna's character blossom as she never shied away from any task in the hospital even if it were mundane or undesirable. Her condition seemed to only make her more determined. She was in no way a weak individual.

I encourage reading the afterward where Author Alyssa Colman describes her own personal dealings with scoliosis, and Joanna's symptoms are largely based on her own.

Even though the Dust Bowl era is not news to me, I was still shocked and fascinated by the devastating storms, dust pneumonia, and how people dealt with the hardships of this man-made ecological disaster. It was chilling to read the quote… "We're living in unprecedented times." That is a term still being used even today, but resilient folks then and today persevere to overcome and that is comforting.

There is so much good in this novel… family dynamics, the power of hope, and community, among many other powerful topics.
Yet, the story is not all doom and gloom. There is the adorable Ruby the chicken who thinks she’s a house pet and other joyous moments easing the heaviness of a particular tragic and dangerous era of US history.

Like the I Survived series and The War That Saved My Life, I predict this gripping middle grade novel to be a well sought after read and will end up on many reading lists.

My ONLY complaint is to me everything tied up at the end a little too quickly, I selfishly needed an extra chapter or two at the end to learn the impact of all the traumatic events the family and community endured.

Where Only Storms Grow is a fictional take on the Dust Bowl and a family who is working hard to keep their land, and their family, together during it, with the added disability of one of the main characters. Joanna is working to prove that she is stronger than people think she is and has to work harder to do that, especially when the doctors around her don't know how to handle her condition and see her as 'fragile' at the beginning of the story, we see that Joanna also believes she is fragile or breakable. During the story, as the storms and situations get dire, we get to see how Joanna grows and becomes stronger. Her twin brother Howe wants to be in school and work on poetry, but when their dad leaves to hopefully find work, Howe has to help more around the farm, especially after their older brother Lou gets hurt. There is a really big subplot of this story about family and the importance of sticking together. There is also the plot of how human's can effect the land and how sometimes we do things that are bad for it. The underlying tones hint at how this is possible again if we don't change. The book is middle grade, but honestly could be read by anyone. I really enjoyed it.

Where Only Storms Grow is a fantastic middle-grade historical fiction novel that takes place during the Dust Bowl.

The story unfolds through the dual perspectives of Howe and Joanna. Joanna’s life is ruled by her scoliosis. It — and her parent’s reaction to it — dictates everything she does. Howe’s life is ruled by the farm. All he wants to do is learn and the farm gets in the way. The twins’ stories are compelling both individually and together. And when they interact with what has almost become a third character — the dust storms — the story sings.

Author Alyssa Colman deftly sets each scene, dropping readers into the dry, blowing grit that coats everything. I found the bits about preparing the Stanton home for a coming storm fascinating. And the cleanup afterward — almost like shoveling snow after a blizzard — is surreal.

Where Only Storms Grow is a fast-paced, suspenseful read that brings this time and place to life. This would be an excellent classroom read.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a wonderful piece of MG historical fiction about the Dust Bowl. I loved the dual perspectives of Joanna and Howe and the way the author brought such dignity to Joanna and her life with scoliosis.

Dual perspective story set in the Dust Bowl. The twins, Howe and Joanna, each face their own struggles as the family struggles to survive through dust storm after storm. The family relationships have changed, including the relationship between the twins. They are each mourning the loss of what once was - the way life was before the drought and dust storms, the relationship with their parents, and their relationship with each other. I found this book compelling. The character development was a bit slow, and the narrative somewhat repetitive. 3.5/4 stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC in exchange for my opinion.

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