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California or Dust
A powerful story of the devastation of the Dust Bowl—and the courage of those who survived it—in the tradition of Out of the Dust.
We came all the way from California to make something of ourselves.
Today's the day we start.
California, 1939. It's hard being the new kid in school. . . but it's harder for eleven-year-old Lark, after she and her family fled Oklahoma's Dust Bowl for a not-so-sunny welcome in California. Kids whisper Go back to Oklahoma! Lark would give anything to go back to where she came from, but she can't: the dust storms destroyed everything. The farm labor camp she, her parents, and her siblings live in is her life now, and even Lark has to get a job.
Can California really be "the land of milk and honey" she was promised? More than that. . . can it ever be home?
Mindy Nichols Wendell's sophomore historical middle-grade novel is a heartfelt, powerful, and incredibly well-written story of resilience, pride, and tenacity in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
We came all the way from California to make something of ourselves.
Today's the day we start.
California, 1939. It's hard being the new kid in school. . . but it's harder for eleven-year-old Lark, after she and her family fled Oklahoma's Dust Bowl for a not-so-sunny welcome in California. Kids whisper Go back to Oklahoma! Lark would give anything to go back to where she came from, but she can't: the dust storms destroyed everything. The farm labor camp she, her parents, and her siblings live in is her life now, and even Lark has to get a job.
Can California really be "the land of milk and honey" she was promised? More than that. . . can it ever be home?
Mindy Nichols Wendell's sophomore historical middle-grade novel is a heartfelt, powerful, and incredibly well-written story of resilience, pride, and tenacity in the face of overwhelming obstacles.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published August 25, 2026
About the author
Mindy Nichols Wendell
2 books54 followersMindy Nichols Wendell writes historical fiction for young readers. She is the author of LIGHT AND AIR (Holiday House, 2024), a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year (2024). Her second novel, CALIFORNIA OR DUST will be released September 8, 2026. Before beginning her writing career, she taught college-level English for thirty years. She always felt lucky to get paid for doing a job she loved. In 2019, she received the prestigious State University of New York’s Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Mindy lives in Western New York with her husband Steve, a retired teacher. These days, when she’s not writing or reading or taking long walks in quiet places, Mindy is probably visiting her grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
Copy provided by Edelweiss Plus
Lark Jensen and her mother, father, brother Jeb and sister Junie live in Oklahoma in 1939. The incessant dust storms, which have caused Jeb to have dust pneumonia, eventually drive the family off their farm. They end up in the San Joaquin Valley in California, where they live in a tent at the Fieldstone Farm Labor Camp. There are some supports there; the children can get breakfast for a penny. They attend the local elementary school, but the children, as well as their teacher, resent the “Okies” in the community and are quite mean. Not all students are; Helen even shares her lunch with Lark after a boy ruins Lark’s own. The family eventually moves into a tin cabin, but is never far from trouble. The children get measles, and an altercation at a Valentine’s dance results in Junie being hurt. Ma is having difficulties coping, and seems a shadow of her former self. Lark fails fifth grade, and is terribly embarrassed, but throws herself into working during the summer. Hope arrives in the form of Mr. Ford, the county superintendent, who advocates for the residents of the labor camp and arranges to have a school built just for them. There is a grant from the Sears Roebuck Foundation, and the children are encouraged to help build the school. Once it’s opened, there are kinder teachers and more support, and the principal even delivers doses of cod liver oil to students himself! When Ma finds a list that Lark has made about ideas on how to “fix” her mother, based on her conversations with a grandmotherly volunteer, Mrs. Oliver, she is angry and plans to move the family elsewhere. Lark and her friends have to work together so that the Jensens can stay. There are historical notes at the end of the book on a variety of topics.
Strengths: As a tween, I adored books about the Great Depression for reasons I can’t even explain. Now that we are almost 100 years from the stock market crash of 1929, I think the time is right for more books about this era. Fieldstone is based on the real Weedpatch Camp in Bakersfield, California, where there is now a historical site! Even though I’ve reread Gates’ Blue Willow recently, I had forgotten some of the details of camp life, and Wendell, who did the fantastic Light and Air, does a great job of showing what life was like. Lark is a great character who wants to help everyone around her even though she is barely holding on herself; even though tough topics were addressed, this book was refreshingly upbeat, and I enjoyed it very much.
Weaknesses: While modern people will not doubt for a second that the mother is depressed and sometimes too depressed to go work in the fields; I had some trouble with that from a historical standpoint. My Yingling grandparents had to sleep on my great uncle’s floor for two years during this time period, and my Clark grandparents were raising nine children; I can’t imagine any of them complaining or doing anything but working hard with a positive attitude, much like Lark. This attitude does, however, explain why Ma was so angry at Lark; it was considered shameful to do anything but try your best to thrive.
What I really think: I am definitely purchasing this one and need to start thinking about a display that includes some of my feedsack quilts and books like Buzzeo's Light Comes to Shadow Mountain Sanchez's The Wind Called My Name, Elliott's Bea and the New Deal Horse, Colman’s Where Only Storms Grow, Daley’s If the Fire Comes, and Lansdale’s All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky.
Lark Jensen and her mother, father, brother Jeb and sister Junie live in Oklahoma in 1939. The incessant dust storms, which have caused Jeb to have dust pneumonia, eventually drive the family off their farm. They end up in the San Joaquin Valley in California, where they live in a tent at the Fieldstone Farm Labor Camp. There are some supports there; the children can get breakfast for a penny. They attend the local elementary school, but the children, as well as their teacher, resent the “Okies” in the community and are quite mean. Not all students are; Helen even shares her lunch with Lark after a boy ruins Lark’s own. The family eventually moves into a tin cabin, but is never far from trouble. The children get measles, and an altercation at a Valentine’s dance results in Junie being hurt. Ma is having difficulties coping, and seems a shadow of her former self. Lark fails fifth grade, and is terribly embarrassed, but throws herself into working during the summer. Hope arrives in the form of Mr. Ford, the county superintendent, who advocates for the residents of the labor camp and arranges to have a school built just for them. There is a grant from the Sears Roebuck Foundation, and the children are encouraged to help build the school. Once it’s opened, there are kinder teachers and more support, and the principal even delivers doses of cod liver oil to students himself! When Ma finds a list that Lark has made about ideas on how to “fix” her mother, based on her conversations with a grandmotherly volunteer, Mrs. Oliver, she is angry and plans to move the family elsewhere. Lark and her friends have to work together so that the Jensens can stay. There are historical notes at the end of the book on a variety of topics.
Strengths: As a tween, I adored books about the Great Depression for reasons I can’t even explain. Now that we are almost 100 years from the stock market crash of 1929, I think the time is right for more books about this era. Fieldstone is based on the real Weedpatch Camp in Bakersfield, California, where there is now a historical site! Even though I’ve reread Gates’ Blue Willow recently, I had forgotten some of the details of camp life, and Wendell, who did the fantastic Light and Air, does a great job of showing what life was like. Lark is a great character who wants to help everyone around her even though she is barely holding on herself; even though tough topics were addressed, this book was refreshingly upbeat, and I enjoyed it very much.
Weaknesses: While modern people will not doubt for a second that the mother is depressed and sometimes too depressed to go work in the fields; I had some trouble with that from a historical standpoint. My Yingling grandparents had to sleep on my great uncle’s floor for two years during this time period, and my Clark grandparents were raising nine children; I can’t imagine any of them complaining or doing anything but working hard with a positive attitude, much like Lark. This attitude does, however, explain why Ma was so angry at Lark; it was considered shameful to do anything but try your best to thrive.
What I really think: I am definitely purchasing this one and need to start thinking about a display that includes some of my feedsack quilts and books like Buzzeo's Light Comes to Shadow Mountain Sanchez's The Wind Called My Name, Elliott's Bea and the New Deal Horse, Colman’s Where Only Storms Grow, Daley’s If the Fire Comes, and Lansdale’s All the Earth, Thrown to the Sky.
September 10, 2026
💔 Sometimes home isn’t the place you left behind it’s the place you find the courage to build again.
California or Dust by Mindy Nichols Wendell completely pulled at my heartstrings. Lark is only eleven, but she’s already carrying more than any child should have to. After the Dust Bowl destroys her family’s Oklahoma farm, she and her family make the difficult journey to California hoping for a fresh start and instead find poverty, prejudice, and a very different reality than the “land of milk and honey” they were promised.
What stayed with me most was Lark’s longing for home. Even though the place she remembers has been destroyed, she still aches for it. And now she has to figure out how to make a new life somewhere she never wanted to be.
Lark’s story broke my heart, especially seeing her forced to grow up quickly and work alongside her family. But beneath all that heartbreak is something beautiful: resilience. Hope. The possibility that even when everything familiar is gone, you can still find people, moments, and dreams that make a new place feel like home. ❤️
I appreciated how this historical middle-grade story gives young readers a glimpse into the hardships faced by Dust Bowl migrants while keeping Lark’s emotional journey at the center. It’s heartbreaking without being hopeless, and I loved that balance.
📚 California or Dust is a poignant choice for readers who enjoy historical fiction, Dust Bowl stories, middle-grade novels, resilient young protagonists, and heartfelt stories about family, belonging, and finding hope in difficult times.
Thank you to Holiday House and Mindy Nichols Wendell for sharing California or Dust with me. ❤️
California or Dust by Mindy Nichols Wendell completely pulled at my heartstrings. Lark is only eleven, but she’s already carrying more than any child should have to. After the Dust Bowl destroys her family’s Oklahoma farm, she and her family make the difficult journey to California hoping for a fresh start and instead find poverty, prejudice, and a very different reality than the “land of milk and honey” they were promised.
What stayed with me most was Lark’s longing for home. Even though the place she remembers has been destroyed, she still aches for it. And now she has to figure out how to make a new life somewhere she never wanted to be.
Lark’s story broke my heart, especially seeing her forced to grow up quickly and work alongside her family. But beneath all that heartbreak is something beautiful: resilience. Hope. The possibility that even when everything familiar is gone, you can still find people, moments, and dreams that make a new place feel like home. ❤️
I appreciated how this historical middle-grade story gives young readers a glimpse into the hardships faced by Dust Bowl migrants while keeping Lark’s emotional journey at the center. It’s heartbreaking without being hopeless, and I loved that balance.
📚 California or Dust is a poignant choice for readers who enjoy historical fiction, Dust Bowl stories, middle-grade novels, resilient young protagonists, and heartfelt stories about family, belonging, and finding hope in difficult times.
Thank you to Holiday House and Mindy Nichols Wendell for sharing California or Dust with me. ❤️
April 3, 2026
I had the privilege of getting an early copy of this new book that releases in August. I am calling to all my historical fiction fans: go ahead and preorder this one now but have a box of tissues ready when you begin reading it.
Lark, an 11-year old Oklahoma girl travels to the land of promise in California with her family during the late 1930’s when dust storms overwhelmed the Midwest. And yet - the land of promise is not very welcoming. Hardship after hardship. Barely making it. Even school, which she once loved, is full of insults.
But she won’t give up. Even when her own mama has seemed to give up hope, Lark presses on. And finally, eventually…kindness finds them and hope begins to take root once again.
Mindy has a way of weaving a story together so masterfully - you feel like you’ve experienced this time of history yourself. This book is published for middle grade readers. I would recommend it for ages 10+ and for every adult who loves historical fiction.
Lark, an 11-year old Oklahoma girl travels to the land of promise in California with her family during the late 1930’s when dust storms overwhelmed the Midwest. And yet - the land of promise is not very welcoming. Hardship after hardship. Barely making it. Even school, which she once loved, is full of insults.
But she won’t give up. Even when her own mama has seemed to give up hope, Lark presses on. And finally, eventually…kindness finds them and hope begins to take root once again.
Mindy has a way of weaving a story together so masterfully - you feel like you’ve experienced this time of history yourself. This book is published for middle grade readers. I would recommend it for ages 10+ and for every adult who loves historical fiction.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This beautiful story follows young Lark, the oldest sister of three, as she and her family survive the devastation of the Dust Bowl in Oklahoma, but are forced to flee. They travel to California, where life is harder than they had hoped, and the camp life they now live seems bleak.
Mindy Nichols Wendell again handles a unique historical fiction setting, challenging family dynamics, and forgiveness with resilience and hope.
I was reminded of the impact of community, a love of learning, and kindness throughout the story. I especially appreciated how she navigated the onset of depression in a parent with authenticity and grace.
I absolutely loved this book, and Mindy Nichols Wendell is now on my "if she writes it, I will read it" list!
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. These opinions are completely my own.
Mindy Nichols Wendell again handles a unique historical fiction setting, challenging family dynamics, and forgiveness with resilience and hope.
I was reminded of the impact of community, a love of learning, and kindness throughout the story. I especially appreciated how she navigated the onset of depression in a parent with authenticity and grace.
I absolutely loved this book, and Mindy Nichols Wendell is now on my "if she writes it, I will read it" list!
Thank you to the publisher for an ARC. These opinions are completely my own.
September 21, 2026
This is not a book about the Dust Bowl, but more about how the Dust Bowl affected families who fled Oklahoma. I was not aware of the discrimination that these families faced, or that there were camps of migrants living in other states. Lark is a child, with all of the characteristics of a child, who was forced to make really hard decisions and face incredible responsibilities. This lost a star because I felt like the changes in Ma were very sudden and could have been written differently. But I'm glad to be able to offer this HF book as an option to readers.
Review of advance copy received from Edelweiss+
EARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
I sure wish I’d had access to stories like this during my history classes, because I sure would have enjoyed them more and retained the info a lot easier. This author does such a great job of creating characters and situations that make putting down the book difficult!
I sure wish I’d had access to stories like this during my history classes, because I sure would have enjoyed them more and retained the info a lot easier. This author does such a great job of creating characters and situations that make putting down the book difficult!
Review of advance copy
I received an advanced listening, copy of this book through Libro.fm. This was a great coming-of-age story about a family who had experienced the dust storms and ended up in a government run camp in California. The story is super relatable for any kid that age with lots of family dynamics and hopes and wishes for a better life.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews