Out of the Dust
by Karen Hesse
- Lexile
- 740L
- Grade range
- Grades 5–8
- Age range
- Ages 10–14
- Pages
- 240
- First published
- 1997
- Genre
- Middle Grade Verse Novel / Historical Fiction
- ISBN-13
- 9780590371254
Where to find this book
About this book
Billie Jo, a 14-year-old in Depression-era Oklahoma, narrates her family's struggle through the Dust Bowl and the aftermath of a kerosene fire. Hesse's 1998 Newbery Medal winner is one of the most-assigned verse novels for the upper-elementary-to-middle transition.
Themes
- Great Depression
- Dust Bowl
- grief and loss
- rural Oklahoma
- mother-daughter relationship
- verse narrative
Content notes
- death of parent
- death of infant
- fire injury
- depression / grief
Common Sense Media recommends age 12+.
Where this book is assigned
Common Core State Standards (ELA)
- recommended· 6th gradesource: CCSS ELA grades 6-8 verse novel Newbery Medal 1998
- recommended· 7th gradesource: CCSS ELA grades 6-8 Great Depression literature
- recommended· 7th grade · Texassource: TEKS grade 7 — Dust Bowl unit pairing
- recommended· 8th gradesource: CCSS ELA grades 6-8 verse novel exemplar
Similar grade-level books
Common questions
- What grade level is Out of the Dust?
- Out of the Dust is most commonly assigned in US schools in grades 5–8, with a Lexile measure of 740L. Specific grade placement varies by curriculum — AP Literature and IB English Literature typically use it in grades 11-12.
- What is the Lexile level of Out of the Dust?
- Out of the Dust has a Lexile measure of 740L according to MetaMetrics. Lexile measures text complexity, not content maturity — check the grade range and content notes separately for age-appropriateness.
- What curricula assign Out of the Dust?
- Out of the Dust appears on reading lists for Common Core State Standards (ELA). Each assignment on this site links to its primary-source citation.
- Is Out of the Dust banned in schools?
- Out of the Dust does not appear in PEN America's Index of School Book Bans 2022-2024. No documented multi-district removals on record, but individual districts may challenge titles locally.
- What themes does Out of the Dust explore?
- Central themes in Out of the Dust include Great Depression, Dust Bowl, grief and loss, rural Oklahoma, mother-daughter relationship. These themes match how the book is discussed in most curriculum guides and AP Literature prompts.
Why this book is on this list
Each dimension below is sourced from a public reference. The full framework is documented on the classification standard page.
- Lexile measure
- 740L — sourced from MetaMetrics’ Lexile Hub.
- Grade band
- Grades 5–8 — drawn from state ELA frameworks and AP/IB syllabi citing this book.
- Curriculum alignment
- Cited in 1 curriculum on this site (see “Where assigned” above for primary-source links).
- State-level evidence
- Cited in 1 state ELA framework or DOE list (see citations above).
- Removal / banning records
- No tracked removal or challenge records in cited sources.
- Seasonal / contextual tags
- No seasonal or program-specific tags on this book.