What do you think?
Rate this book
Girls Survive
Millie and the Great Drought: A Dust Bowl Survival Story
In 1935, dust storms are sweeping across the southern plains of United States, including Oklahoma. Twelve-year-old Millie Horn is worried about her family’s survival. The Dust Bowl is getting worse, and her family is running out of food and money. Despite the hardships, Pa doesn’t want to abandon the farm, which has been in the family for generations. But when the worst "black blizzard" yet hits, they have no choice. The family decides to make the journey west, but life in California isn’t without struggle. Can Millie and her family survive the Dust Bowl and the hardships of the Great Depression? Readers can learn the real story of the Dust Bowl from nonfiction back matter in this Girls Survive story. A glossary, discussion questions, and writing prompts are also provided.
113 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2022
18 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Natasha Deen
55 books182 followersNatasha Deen's family moved from Guyana, South America to Canada to escape the country's political & racial violence. She loved growing up in a country of snow & flannel, but often felt out of place. Thank goodness for books that showed her being different could also mean being awesome. Natasha lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her family where she spends A LOT of time arguing with her cats and dogs about who’s the boss of the house. Visit her at www.natashadeen.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 4, 2023
Millie and her family have farmed in Oklahoma for generations, but the dust storms are getting worse, their neighbors have died or moved, their animals have died, and Millie and her Mom are ready to go to California like everyone else but her father is refusing to move. However, when one of the worst dust storms of all, Black Sunday, hits while the family is on a picnic the seriousness of the situation is impossible to ignore. Begrudgingly Millie's dad packs them up for California, but when they get there the locals treat them poorly and work is very hard to find. Can they find a place to call home?
This is a rough read. Not only was the Dust Bowl a horrible ecological and humanitarian disaster, but the way others in California had no compassion is hard to read about. It is authentic and based in real people's stories, though. It was also hard because Millie and her mom are butting heads with her dad pretty much the whole book until the end. It also could be very realistic for a family going through such a hard time and a man being weighed down with feeling like a failure for not being able to provide for his family, but it still isn't easy to read. The story is an important reminder to stand up for others and to have compassion for those in need, though.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Millie mentions seeing someone getting beat up just for being from out of town (no details of injuries). Millie stops another person from getting jumped. She mentions neighbors who died of dust-related diseases (no details) and also animals dying (no details). The Dust Bowl refugees are living in very poor conditions and some are using ditch water to cook with.
This is a rough read. Not only was the Dust Bowl a horrible ecological and humanitarian disaster, but the way others in California had no compassion is hard to read about. It is authentic and based in real people's stories, though. It was also hard because Millie and her mom are butting heads with her dad pretty much the whole book until the end. It also could be very realistic for a family going through such a hard time and a man being weighed down with feeling like a failure for not being able to provide for his family, but it still isn't easy to read. The story is an important reminder to stand up for others and to have compassion for those in need, though.
Notes on content: No language issues. No sexual content. Millie mentions seeing someone getting beat up just for being from out of town (no details of injuries). Millie stops another person from getting jumped. She mentions neighbors who died of dust-related diseases (no details) and also animals dying (no details). The Dust Bowl refugees are living in very poor conditions and some are using ditch water to cook with.
January 25, 2024
It's 1935 in Cimarron County, Oklahoma. Ma, Pa, Millie and all their neighbors and friends are struggling not only through the Great Depression, but also the drought. The dust storms hit so hard, that everyone and everything, including the crops, are covered in dust. Ma and Millie are tired from being hungry, dirty, and dusty all the time and the dust storms are not only dangerous, but deadly. Pa, however, is holding out for all hope that things will get better soon because he can't bear losing the farm that has been in his family for so many generations. One by one, other folks are losing their farms to the banks and moving to California for work and a new life. Begrudgingly, Millie's Pa caves to Ma and Millie's insistent pleas to leave too.
When they arrive in Cali, however, things are not at all what they were expecting. There is no work and "Oakies" are outcasted as "dirty" and "diseased". Left to live in the shanty town where shelters are barely that, Millie and the other migrants are mistreated and attacked, verbally and physically. Pa and Ma tell her to keep her head down, doing all they can to protect Millie, even at the cost of being quiet when others are wrongly treated. Millie thinks this is wrong, but how can she convince Pa otherwise?
This was a sobering read and I really liked Millie's character throughout the story. There is death mentioned when a man mentions he lost his wife and daughter in the dust storm, and a man is beaten as Millie and her parents walk by. There are bullies in the story but Millie stands up to them. The author's note in the back provides historical context to this man made disaster. It's a serious read as the ugliness with which the migrants were treated was clearly seen.
When they arrive in Cali, however, things are not at all what they were expecting. There is no work and "Oakies" are outcasted as "dirty" and "diseased". Left to live in the shanty town where shelters are barely that, Millie and the other migrants are mistreated and attacked, verbally and physically. Pa and Ma tell her to keep her head down, doing all they can to protect Millie, even at the cost of being quiet when others are wrongly treated. Millie thinks this is wrong, but how can she convince Pa otherwise?
This was a sobering read and I really liked Millie's character throughout the story. There is death mentioned when a man mentions he lost his wife and daughter in the dust storm, and a man is beaten as Millie and her parents walk by. There are bullies in the story but Millie stands up to them. The author's note in the back provides historical context to this man made disaster. It's a serious read as the ugliness with which the migrants were treated was clearly seen.
September 12, 2024
Millie loves the farm that’s been in her family for generations, but the storms keep coming, the drought is on going and everything is caked in dirt. The crops won’t grow, the rain never falls and the dirt just swarm in great storms all over. She and her Ma finally convince her Pa to leave before it gets worse, but California isn’t the dream they thought as they are unwanted visitors and struggle to earn money to live.
Absolutely devastating the way they all got treated when they reached California was wrong, everyone treated them like they chose to lose everything they had, no one showed them kindness or mercy at all. They went from struggling to sustain their lives at the farms and stores to having nothing and earning less than before it was horrible.
I knew about the dust bowl being bad, how awful the storms were, how it killed people, animals, and how it took from all the families living there, but I never knew how bad it was for them after they moved on. It was so sad to read about it really was. They just wanted a safer and happier life, but it was so hard to get that due to the Great Depression, the lack of care, the lack of money and so much more.
Millie was a great character, she loved her family and the farm so much, she didn’t dare say she wanted to leave it, but after almost being killed by a storm she had to step up and speak. That’s what she does throughout the book, she steps up even when she’s told not too. She doesn’t like injustice or mistreatment, I loved when she stood up for Betty and told the Bullies their story, she wanted people to hear the truth. She stepped up for all her people just looking for a way to live. She was such a strong character.
Absolutely devastating the way they all got treated when they reached California was wrong, everyone treated them like they chose to lose everything they had, no one showed them kindness or mercy at all. They went from struggling to sustain their lives at the farms and stores to having nothing and earning less than before it was horrible.
I knew about the dust bowl being bad, how awful the storms were, how it killed people, animals, and how it took from all the families living there, but I never knew how bad it was for them after they moved on. It was so sad to read about it really was. They just wanted a safer and happier life, but it was so hard to get that due to the Great Depression, the lack of care, the lack of money and so much more.
Millie was a great character, she loved her family and the farm so much, she didn’t dare say she wanted to leave it, but after almost being killed by a storm she had to step up and speak. That’s what she does throughout the book, she steps up even when she’s told not too. She doesn’t like injustice or mistreatment, I loved when she stood up for Betty and told the Bullies their story, she wanted people to hear the truth. She stepped up for all her people just looking for a way to live. She was such a strong character.
August 27, 2022
One of my best friends tells a story about how she and a childhood friend used to play Dust Bowl together, hiding somewhere and then coming out to lament over their ruined crops. Unlike them, I wasn't aware of the Dust Bowl until I was older, and it's typically a lesser-known disaster, lost in the midst of the Great Depression.
This fast-paced chapter book introduces children to the Dust Bowl through the eyes of Millie, a young girl who lives with her parents on a farm that has been in her father's family for generations. The book addresses both the devastation of the Dust Bowl and the challenges that migrants faced when they left their ruined farms behind, and the historical note shares additional helpful context.
This is well-written and engaging, and it's not quite as intense as some of the other Girls Survive books. However, because Millie's parents argue a lot over the family's future and have a lot of tension in their relationship, some of the conflict that happens in this book could be triggering for children who witness lots of intense, emotionally charged arguments in their homes.
This fast-paced chapter book introduces children to the Dust Bowl through the eyes of Millie, a young girl who lives with her parents on a farm that has been in her father's family for generations. The book addresses both the devastation of the Dust Bowl and the challenges that migrants faced when they left their ruined farms behind, and the historical note shares additional helpful context.
This is well-written and engaging, and it's not quite as intense as some of the other Girls Survive books. However, because Millie's parents argue a lot over the family's future and have a lot of tension in their relationship, some of the conflict that happens in this book could be triggering for children who witness lots of intense, emotionally charged arguments in their homes.
January 2, 2026
Okay, this might be a Tiffany problem, and it’s true that none of the Girls Survive books excel in giving a sense of a kid in that time, but this one did feel like it had a modern kid time travel to the Great Depression and be shocked at the conditions.
I know kids argues with their parents throughout history, but the context in which they did it changes. This kid seems to have no idea there is a societal norm around respecting one’s parents. Or letting parents make decisions around things like selling the farm.
Also, the kid is sure about things that’s she’s wrong about and I wanted context for that. Many people did thing that California would be paved with gold, but tell me why! Especially since I knew they would end up in a shanty town and so I had more sympathy for the dad’s reluctance. Luckily the author was heavily on her side, so not only does her rant about the injustice of prejudice against involuntary migrants change some hearts, they also accidentally end up in the same shanty town as her best friend.
It just didn’t work at all for me. Of course, I’m not the audience and it’s not an awful historical introduction so if kids read this they’ll gave a vaguely accurate impression what went down.
I know kids argues with their parents throughout history, but the context in which they did it changes. This kid seems to have no idea there is a societal norm around respecting one’s parents. Or letting parents make decisions around things like selling the farm.
Also, the kid is sure about things that’s she’s wrong about and I wanted context for that. Many people did thing that California would be paved with gold, but tell me why! Especially since I knew they would end up in a shanty town and so I had more sympathy for the dad’s reluctance. Luckily the author was heavily on her side, so not only does her rant about the injustice of prejudice against involuntary migrants change some hearts, they also accidentally end up in the same shanty town as her best friend.
It just didn’t work at all for me. Of course, I’m not the audience and it’s not an awful historical introduction so if kids read this they’ll gave a vaguely accurate impression what went down.
August 17, 2023
Fine for a lower middle school grade novel to read. A fast moving plot with little character development. But nice for getting across some facts about live during the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl.
February 20, 2023
It is a quick read. Always turning the pages. But it is not the best book ever. I love the authors style but it still is not the best.
September 5, 2023
Once again, I love these books!
January 2, 2024
Amazing book
June 14, 2024
Sixth grade me would have loved this.
June 20, 2024
Great living history, children's fiction
October 12, 2023
Dust storms are devastating. For years, they've been tormenting Millie's farm and killing the crops. Although Millie's father is reluctant to leave their home, her mother finally convinces him that enough is enough. The family packs all they have and heads for California.
Unfortunately, they don't receive a warm welcome. Discrimination against Dust Bowl "Okies," who many locals believe are taking away their jobs, runs rampant. Although Millie's never been one to speak up, she's about to learn how powerful her voice can be.
Part of Girls Survive, a series of 26 chapter books presenting fictional accounts of girls living through real historical events. These books fly off the shelves!
Unfortunately, they don't receive a warm welcome. Discrimination against Dust Bowl "Okies," who many locals believe are taking away their jobs, runs rampant. Although Millie's never been one to speak up, she's about to learn how powerful her voice can be.
Part of Girls Survive, a series of 26 chapter books presenting fictional accounts of girls living through real historical events. These books fly off the shelves!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews