Review: Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel

Dust Girl by Sarah Zettel. Book 1 in The American Fairy Trilogy.

Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: June 2013
List Price: $9.99
ISBN-13: 9780375873812

Review: Is she really only part human? Calliope LeRoux, a young girl of courage and determination, faces challenges, and that helps her find out who and what she really is. While Callie is living in Kansas, a lot of problems occur, but she somehow manages to work through these problems. They're not small problems, though. They're stranger problems than you'll ever hear about. Some are understandable. Others, not so much. If you're into mysteries, you should read Sarah Zettel's amazing fiction book, Dust Girl.

Callie LeRoux, living in the year of 1935 in Kansas as a young girl, goes through a lot of experiences, good and bad. Where she lives, there is barely any water. It hasn't rained for a long period of time. Kansas has been part of the Dust Bowl along with Indiana, Arkansas, Texas, and Oklahoma for 5 or 6 years. Callie lives in the Imperial Hotel in Slow Run, Kansas with her mother. Her father had left them, but he promised he'd be back, and her mama made a promise to wait there. Her papa is a black man, which makes her part black. That is why she has to give people a fake identity. Her fake name is Callie McGinty. That all changed on the 14th of April, on a Sunday, in 1935. That was the day a huge dust storm crossed over. That was the day her mom had just vanished. Then her journey begins. She meets a man named Baya. A while later, he vanishes, as well. She encounters a strange family, the Hoppers, who want a place to stay, and they choose to stay at the Imperial Hotel. Soon Callie discovers they're part fairy, but not the good kind. She tries to get away from the creatures. A boy she meets, Jack Holland, helps her do that. Soon they find themselves in the middle of nowhere. Eventually they meet a woman who can help them. They go on a journey together, a quest for Callie's momÉand dad. They face challenges, and soon Callie discovers who and what she really is.

Dust Girl is an interesting, mysterious book that anyone would enjoy. I recommend it for girls mostly, maybe 11 and up, because this book is about a young girl, very clever and decisive, going through problems and finding out that there is more to her and her family than she thought. The setting is really creative. The whole plot is brilliant, with humor, danger, mysteries, and adventure being brought into it. I enjoyed the book, and now it's your turn!

Review written by Kierra (6th grade student).

We would like to thank Random House for providing a copy of Dust Girl for this review.

Have you read Dust Girl? How would you rate it?