Review

Dust Girl: The American Fairy Trilogy, Book 1

Common Sense Media says

Intricate historical novel contrasts Dust Bowl, fairy world.
Age
12
Quality
 
  • Educational value5
    Dust Girl presents both a vivid, well-researched portrait of life in the Dust Bowl in the 1930s and a clever gloss on Celtic and North American folk traditions and music.
  • Positive messages4
    In Dust Girl, Callie wants nothing more than to be reunited with her missing parents, but she learns that wishes are dangerous and that letting your own desires take over can lead to disaster.
  • Positive role models4
    Although she's always responsible and empathetic, Callie has to learn to discipline herself even further once she learns to practice magic and starts to see what chaos it can cause. She discovers that not only is she is of mixed race, but she's half mortal, half fairy.
  • Violence3
    A vicious lawman hands out beatings to hobos, shoots at Callie and Jack in a chase through a trainyard, and kills one of their friends. There's some bloodshed and some supernatural ickiness involving a re-animated corpse. Characters are in constant jeopardy/peril.
  • Sex1
    Callie feels the first stirrings of romantic interest for her companion Jack, but the two don't have much time for flirting.
  • Language2
    Although there's no profanity in Dust Girl, characters use ethnic slurs such as "Mick" or "Jew boy." African-American characters are referred to as Negroes, which is historically accurate.
  • Consumerism0
    Not applicable.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking1
    Callie's companion, Jack, grew up in a family of bootleggers. His carelessness with a still indirectly caused the death of someone close to him.
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Dust Girl is a clever, thoughtful, intricate fantasy that mixes U.S. history and Celtic, African-American, and Native American folklore and musical traditions. The main characters, Callie and Jack, are in constant jeopardy, and there's violence: A vicious lawman hands out beatings to hobos, shoots at Callie and Jack in a chase scene, and kills one of their friends. There's also some bloodshed and supernatural ickiness involving a re-animated corpse. While there's no profanity, characters use ethnic slurs such as "Mick" or "Jew boy." African-American characters are referred to as Negroes, which is historically accurate.

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