Weathering the Storm

TFK Kid Reporter Asha Curley read Where Only Storms Grow and interviewed its author, Alyssa Colman. Read Asha’s thoughts below.

Where Only Storms Grow, a novel by Alyssa Colman, takes place in the Oklahoma Panhandle in the 1930s during the Dust Bowl. During this time, terrible dust storms blew across the American plains. The novel describes the devastation experienced by farming families. They are unable to grow wheat because of the weather. These families are forced to decide: Should they fight for their land, or move elsewhere for a better future?

The book is about Joanna and Howe, who are twins. Joanna has scoliosis, or a curved spine. It’s painful. Colman was diagnosed with scoliosis as a child. She included it in the story “so kids who are dealing with it know that they’re not alone,” she told TIME for Kids. Howe loves to write. He fears his family won’t accept him if he reveals his interest in writing. These circumstances strain the twins’ relationship. “I wanted to write about two twins who feel that pressure to be best friends, and actually do want to be closer, but don’t know how,” Colman says.

The characters endure hardships. Will they survive? This book has sadness and loss, but also love and hope. Readers who are interested in historical fiction and stories about relationships will enjoy Where Only Storms Grow.