In the midst of America's Great Depression, a devastating drought and violent winds bring 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.
During the ravages of the Dust Bowl, the largest storm ever recorded sweeps through Kansas, leaving chaos in its wake. Nine-year-old Daniel is separated from his family and must fight for his life. With the fate of her brother in her hands, it's up to twelve-year-old Caroline to brave the treacherous conditions and bring them both back to safety.
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.
If you enjoyed the heart-wrenching tale of survival in Out of the Dust, you won't want to miss When the Sky Turned to Dust. Filled with powerful emotions and gripping conflicts, this book will keep you on the edge of your seat.
Catherine Matthias was an outdoor child-biking, swimming, endless nights of tag, hide-and-seek, and touch football. Her book reading occurred at night, snuggled in bed, the light on past midnight, telling herself, "Just one more chapter."
Her nonfiction adult book, The Word Gobblers - a handbook for parents working with children struggling to read, was published by Square One Publishers, NY, in 2021. It is a natural extension of her work as an Irlen Syndrome Screener, her children's book writing, and her desire to see all children enjoy reading. She addresses the medically-based causes and traits of the condition and provides parents and teachers with tools to identify the problem and relieve the physical and emotional symptoms.
She is also the author of six early reader picture books published in English and Spanish by Children's Press, an imprint of Scholastic Books.
Review of When the Sky Turned to Dust by writer Heather Vogel Frederick, author of more than 20 books, including The Mother-Daughter Book Club series, states: "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."
Review by Karen Fisher, author of A Sudden Country, a Pen/Faulkner Finalist: "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."
Catherine Matthias lives in rural Joseph, Oregon, with her husband, Stewart Jones, and a snuggly, gray tabby cat named Mica.
