I'm so glad this author decided to write about the ones that stayed behind. I think this highlights many of the issues they faced and just how hard times got during the dust bowl. I never ever thought to consider people that had disabilities and what it ment for their families. With all the emotions in this book I'm glad the main family was left whole.

This gripping middle grade historical novel is set during one of the most dangerous storms in American history and readers get to experience it firsthand through the perspective of 12-year old twins. Parallel to the raging storm and difficult conditions on the land, each character is also going through something hard: one is battling scoliosis and the other trying to understand his role in the family when they don't seem to align together. This book is powerful and emotional and I learned a great deal about a time period that I thought I already knew about. This book makes you think, makes you feel and you'll want to keep these characters close for a while.

I was sucked into the story right away. It taught me so much about medicine, the Red Cross, scoliosis, the Dust Bowl, and how the time period was so devastating in American history. I loved the multiple narrators and how I couldn’t put the book down.

I absolutely loved this story! I was glued to the story from the beginning and wow!! Did I ever learn a lot!
I really loved the authors notes at the end. I can relate to scoliosis. I have it myself plus a curvature of the spine. It's no fun. It's why I related to Joanna so much. I hated that Dr. Winters.
I was so proud of Joanna!
Sometimes it's the little things or someone that can make a difference in someone's life. I found myself rooting for her.
This book made me feel like I was right there with Howe and Joanna. Especially during Black Sunday one of the worst storms in American history.
I could actually hear the roar of the wind and see the sparks flying. Made the hairs stand up for sure!
One of the reasons I enjoyed this story so much was the events. Not much is written about Black Sunday in fictional style.
This was my grandparents era. They never talked about much though and now I can see why.
This is the best coming of age or growing up story of middle grade fiction I've ever read. It's going on my shelf of favorites. Wow! What a job well done!! It was so realistic and believable too.
I didn't want it to end and I hope to see more from this author.
5 stars from me for an adventure during the dust bowl years. I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine.

Where Only Storms Grow is told in the dual narrative perspective of twins, Joanna and Howe, offering insights into their experiences growing up during the Dust Bowl in 1935. Joanna also struggles with scoliosis, adding another layer to her personal journey of overcoming obstacles.

Reading about "Black Sunday," one of the worst dust storms in American history, was chilling, yet fascinating. I was riveted. This novel is a middle-grade novel that I couldn't get enough of! As Howe walked through their wheat fields, on rock-hard ground, filled with ankle-high rows of wheat stalks, some of which had been blackened by the static electricity of the storms, my heart broke. Not to mention having to use shovels to carry the dust out of their house, or dig their way out to open the door! I learned so much from Where Only Storms Grow!

I highly recommend this novel. It beautifully explores themes of family, resilience, courage, and overcoming immense challenges during one of the most difficult periods in American history.

Huge thanks to #FarrarStrausAndGiroux(BYR), for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Where Only Storms Grow has an expected publication date of August 19, 2025.

#AlyssaColman #DustBowl #BlackSunday #Family #Survival

For Fans of the I Survived series and The War That Saved My Life, this gripping middle grade novel is set during one of the most dangerous storms in American history. Enjoy!

Great book. A little slow to start initially as there is a back and forth between perspectives of two twins. Definitely a good book for fans of the I Survived Series. A tale of family resilience during a period in history that isn't often written about in middle grade novels. A very believable story and while there were many challenges throughout the story, it was realistic and the characters were realistic and you weren't left with sadness at the end of the tale. Overall well written book. Some serious subjects, so I wouldn't go for kids younger than middle grades.

Author Alyssa Colman, takes her readers to Oklahoma during the 1930s Dust Bowl, through the eyes of twins Howe and Joanna. Joanna, deemed weak because of a scoliosis diagnosis, feels as though she is incapable of helping her family around the farm. To make matters worse, she is often made fun of at school. Her twin, Howe, loves school, reading, and writing poetry, and he had rather be doing that than helping out around the farm. When the family falls on hard times, their father must travel to California to find work, leaving the children and their mother at home to keep the farm running. This story of strength, courage, friendship, determination, family, and the ability to overcome is simply beautiful. The reader will laugh and cry and will connect with the family and the townspeople throughout the novel through the children's points of view. As a teacher, I will definitely be exposing my fourth graders to this novel. Be looking for it to hit shelves in August 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

This was such an enjoyable book!

At first I wasn't sure I liked the characters, but as the book went on they really grew on me. Especially Joanna. At the beginning, I thought she was kind of boring, but then when she started her job (I'll try not to spoil too much!) she got a lot more interesting and I really fell in love with her as a character. I enjoyed the time setting as well. I don't think I've read historical fiction about the great depression since the American Girl books about Kit that I read when I was like 10 years old. And I don't even think that included anything about the dust bowl.

The author really made the setting come alive with her descriptions about the dust storms and the hospital patients, and I really thought she did an excellent job making the story feel both realistic and heartbreaking while keeping it suitable for children. I also loved the relationship between Joanna and Howe's brother Lou and his girlfriend. They were super cute.

Except that I felt like things started out a little slower than I anticipated, I really feel like I have no complaints to make about this book. (And that part might just be me, honestly.)

I would definitely put this in the hands of any child.

I want to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book. I had such a good time with this one!

I LOVED this book! It follows twins Joanna and Howe through the worst years of the Oklahoma dust bowl. As time goes along and the bank repossesses many farms, the twins see their classmates and extended family disappear from town.

Joanna has scoliosis, and is treated as though she will break; this angers her greatly. Howe, who used to be in sync with his twin, resents that he is stuck doing so much farmwork because his sister is so delicate. When their father goes out west for a job, the twins and their older brother stay back with their mother tending to the farm.

That's when the worst of the dusters occur and occur frequently. The little family faces additional hardship, and with the constant threat of illness due to the dust, they are desperate for their father's return.

While reading, I felt as though I too was struggling in the dust and grit, could hear the hacking coughs from the dust, and see the barren land.

I loved how both Joanna and Howe found their strengths and reconnected their twin bond through their new roles.

I gave this book 5 stars.

In Stormrise by Alyssa Colman, sibling tensions and personal trials unfold against the harrowing backdrop of the Dust Bowl. As drought grips the Oklahoma panhandle, twins Howe and Joanna Stanton struggle with loss, resilience, and growing up too fast. While Joanna battles physical pain and finds strength in service, Howe seeks escape but discovers purpose through unexpected connections. When tragedy strikes and a deadly storm looms, the twins must come together to save their family and farm. Gripping, heartfelt, and richly atmospheric, this historical middle-grade novel will resonate with fans of I Survived and The War That Saved My Life.

The following review was posted on 5.21.25:

WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW provides a vivid, haunting look at what it must have been like to be an Oklahoma farming family during the devastating Dust Bowl years. Joanna and Howe, 12-year-old twins, have to deal with not just the usual farming chores and struggles of childhood, but also with the fear and uncertainty that comes with living in poverty and fear. All around them, people are dying of dust pneumonia, abandoning their farms for a supposed better life out West, starving in bleak Hooverville encampments, and losing hope of life ever getting better. It tells an affecting, gripping story that teaches children about a troubling time in America's history that they may not know much about. The tale is engrossing with plenty of conflict and tension to keep it interesting.

As grim as its setting is, WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW is really a novel about finding hope in dark times. The story is realistic, but it never gets too dark for its young audience. Joanna and Howe both find meaning in working together and helping others, providing a good lesson about how to get through difficult times without abandoning charity and faith. With some humorous spots and a hopeful ending, the book is an uplifting, encouraging read that I very much enjoyed.

If this were a movie, it would be rated PG for scary situations and scenes of peril

Alyssa Colman’s WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW gives readers (of all ages but especially middle graders) a vivid glimpse of life in the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Told through alternating viewpoints of twins Joanna and Howe Stanton, the books is rich in details of the dust storms that turned day into night and left drifts of dust that buried fence posts and caved in roofs of buildings. It shows the amazing resilience of the people who stayed on their farms and found ways survive conditions that are nearly unimaginable. But the book is about more than survival. It’s about growing up and finding your way—not just through a dust storm but through life.

Joanna, whose painful scoliosis has kept her on the sidelines of her own life, discovers she has a knack for nursing when her older brother suffers a serious injury and ends up in a makeshift Red Cross hospital. Befriended by the nurses who work there, Joanna finds strength she didn’t know she had. Joanna’s twin brother, Howe, is a secret poet who loves words, and school, and learning more than farmwork. and Joanna, who were once so close they shared the same thoughts, have drifted apart in recent months. But as troubles pile on troubles for their family, they realize they are stronger together than apart.

The book opens in the midst of a huge dust storm on April 14, 1935, a day that has come to be known as Black Sunday, Then Colman takes us back in time to three months earlier, filling in the details of the story, the characters, and the time period. Near the end of the book, we catch up to the beginning, as the author takes us through the biggest black blizzard of them all and its aftermath. Colman does a wonderful job of showing the reader the challenges of everyday life during the Dust Bowl I enjoyed the storyline about Joanna’s scoliosis and how it was viewed and treated (or not) in the 1930s. I loved the inclusion of Howe’s poetry (and Emily Dickinson’s). I also appreciated the information in the author’s note at the end and the warning that we should pay attention to the mistakes of the past to prevent us from making the same (or similar) mistakes again. The recent dust storm in Chicago underlines this warning.

WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW is a great new read for fans of historical fiction, the 1930s, and the perilous time known as the Dust Bowl.

Set during the dust bowl, Where Only Storms Grow follows 12-year-old twins Howe and Joanna Staunton as their family tries to survive and save their family farm. I appreciated the themes of family, friendship, and community highlighted throughout the book. It might be heavy for younger readers, but I’d recommend it for 6th graders and up.

This is a wonderful historical fiction novel set during the time of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It is told in dual perspectives by twins Joanna and Howe. At the start you can feel the tension between the siblings. Joanna has been diagnosed with scoliosis and as a result is overly protected by their mother which results in many frustrations and outbursts by Joanna. Howe just wants to be seen and appreciated for all of his help on the family farm, but instead finds himself picking up the slack when Joanna is unable to finish her chores.

Pretty quickly the family's desperate situation because of the financial hardships and the constant dust storms becomes clear. Their aunt and uncle lose part of the family farm and are forced to move to California to look for work taking Joanna and Howe's father with them. Now the twins, their older brother, and their mother are left to try to keep the farm running while their father searches for work out West. Circumstances continue to worsen both at the farm and in their town.

This book is a great view into the difficult times on the Great Plains during the 1930s. It also highlights the fighting spirit of the people who were left to fight for their lives and livelihoods. Both Joanna and Howe along with other characters show resilience, strength, and love for their families and fellow man. Both are characters to admire and ones that I will be happy to share with my students.

I love middle grade historical fiction and was excited to read Where Only Storms Grow. The story follows a family living in Oklahoma during the infamous Dust Bowl. I love the eye opening descriptions of what life may have looked like during this time in history. I found this story to be very informative and one that will likely help students develop empathy and gratitude. Where Only Storms Grow would be a good book to read aloud in the classroom. While it reads a little less exciting than the I Survived series, I still think students will find it enjoyable. I plan to purchase it for our school library and will be recommending to teachers. Thank you NetGalley for an opportunity to preview this book.

"Where Only Storms Grow" by Alyssa Colman is a middle grade historical fiction story set during the Dust Bowl in 1935. This story is told from a dual POV and follows the everyday lives of middle school-aged twins Joanna and Howe in the weeks leading up to the worst storm of the dust bowl, "Black Sunday."

I loved Jo and Howe's development over the course of the story -- as individuals, as siblings, and as members of society. I also really enjoyed watching their family and small town work through too-realistic problems and found ways to function in such difficult times. With unique perspectives, this story givers readers an insight to what life might have been like for children in rural areas during the dust bowl.

I might not be teaching middle school ELA anymore, but I will highly recommend this to my current and former students. This book is ideal for middle & high school readers who love the outdoors and are fans of books like the "I Survived" and "The Wilds" series, "Hatchet," and "My Side of the Mountain." Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing Group for the eARC.

“I looked in her eyes and found determination. Her speech was halting, imperfect, and exactly what I needed to hear. We were full of dust and dreams, but something stronger too. Something that couldn’t easily be blown over.” - Howe, WHERE ONLY STORMS GROW

This historical fiction novel about a pair of twins living in Oklahoma in the spring of 1935 is engaging and fast-paced. This story uses duel narrators, twins Joanna and Howe Stanton, to give a glimpse into what it was like to grow up during the Dust Bowl. Themes of family, community and survival are all present.

I especially enjoyed the relationships among the characters in this story. Regardless of how they were connected, there is kinship and a ‘we are all in this together’ aspect that lent hope regardless of the trials and tribulations each of the characters were facing.

As a former middle school ELA teacher, I think this novel is well-researched and would be a good complement to a non-fiction piece about the Dust Bowl and/or Black Sunday.

I could feel the grit between my teeth as the dust storms blew. In this middle grade novel in two voices, twins Joanna and Howe find themselves with the full responsibility for their family's farm. Unlike other families during the dustbowl, the twins' family rides it out. The father leaves for California to find work leaving the farm in the capable hands of his wife and older son. But life and dust storms conspire against them, and it's twelve year-olds Joanna and Howe who must weather the storms. Through their eyes, we see the decisions that other families make and their consequences. And we see the effect that the responsibility has on the two children. Joanna has the opportunity to find herself. Smothered by her mother who follows the misguided directions of the country doctor, Joanna's scoliosis has made her into a near invalid and her disability is two fold. She deals with very real pain, but she also has to deal with the debilitating influence of overprotection. When her older brother falls and spends time in the hospital, Joanna uses her skills to help the nursing staff, soon becoming indispensable and a paid member of the staff. She also meets a nurse who, herself, has learned to manage her scoliosis and gives Joanna the confidence she needs to blossom. Howe is the most put-upon member of the family. He must stay home from school and do the work that his father and his brother, both, were doing when instead he wishes that he could be talking about poetry with his teacher and writing poems. But the storms are brutal, and the two youngsters, who have grown apart, must work together to save their legacy. Colman's mastery of the subjects she layers in her story is complete. Readers are transported into the challenging world of the depression and the dustbowl--a world we rarely hear about--but they are also gifted a wonderful story of growth and renewal. .Thank you to FSG for providing this arc for review.

Really loved this thoughtful and harrowing historical fiction. Joanna and Howe are identical twins who have recently drifted apart. Times are hard and getting harder. Eventually it becomes clear that the only way they can survive - literally - is by working together. Readers who enjoy frontier survival stories will love this one. It's ripe for meaty discussions about historical and scientific topics. Cli-fi lovers and history buffs alike will rush through the pages of this tension-filled story of grit and family and never giving up.