Dust

Bowling, Dusti. Dust

August 15, 2023 by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

**Slight spoiler in Strengths.**

Avalyn and her family lived in Oklahoma when she was young, but after the humidity caused a nearly fatal asthma attack, they moved to Clear Canyon, Arizona. The climate is drive, and the mountains help keep the air still and the dust down. With medication and careful living, Avalyn is able to breathe more easily most of the time. She has two good friends, Nan and Dillon, who stick with her at school and help her face off against the horrible Meanie Butt Band, headed by the awful Bryden, who calls Avalyn "Wheezer". The chidlren are so horrible that Bryden at one point plays a dangerous game of keepaway with Avalyn's emergency inhaler. When a new boy, Adam, starts at school, Avalyn feels bad that Bryden calls him "Dirt Head" and wants to ask him to sit with her at lunch, but Nan and Dillon thinks including him might make them more of a target. Adam's arrival coincides with massive dust storms that wreak havoc with Avalyn's respiratory system, and when Avalyn touches Adam's arm, she has the most awful feeling of being trapped in unpleasant circumstances. Because her activities are limited due to her asthma, Avalyn practices spelling a lot; it calms her down and gives her something to focus on, but she also has odd instances where she sees words appear on people and surfaces. Does she have some Empath powers like her favorite X Men character? She and Adam bond a little over their shared love of this comic, but Adam, who often comes to school looking uncared for, doesn't want to make friends or have anyone talk to him. As the dust storms and The Meanie Butt Band's bullying both intensify, Avalyn finds herself struggling more and more. She tries to help Adam, but eventually uncovers such horrific information about him that she's not sure what to do, especially since following him has put her in danger several times. Luckily, she is able to talk to her parents, who are overprotective but also very understanding, and she finally realizes that even though Adam might be angry with her, she needs to tell someone abou this circumstances. She eventually confides in Ms. Imani, the school nurse. She also uses the school spelling bee as a platform to call out the Meanie Butt Band and put an end to their reign of terror. When Adam leaves town, the dust storms seem to quiet down as well. Avalyn misses him, but is glad that she, Dillon, and Nan can go to school and not live in fear of being terrorized. She also is literally breathing easier without the dust storms. 
Strengths: Asthma is certainly a widespread health concern for many students, but it shows up in so few middle grade books. The details about medication and coping strategies are informative and worked into the story well. The Arizona setting seems very exotic to me, since Ohio always seems damp enough to keep down any dust! It was good to see Avalyn, Dillon, and Nan stick together against the bullies, and to see Avalyn eventually speaking up against the injustice. Adam's trauma is that his mother has passed away, as has his grandmother, who was raising him, and now (highlight for spoiler)  (he is living with an uncle who is sexually abusing him. There aren't any details, but it is strongly implied. Avalyn's parents are concerned and involved in her medical care, but also let her have as much freedom as they can. 

Weaknesses: With the serious themes of bullying, health concerns and child abuse, I wish this hadn't included the fantasy elements. There was a lot to process in this book, and the magic is woven into the story in a way that made me wonder if this was a fantasy book or not. For the record, and for future Cybil's judging, this is definitely a fantasy, since Adam definitely can control dust storms. 
What I really think: Behren's Disaster Days and Jordan Sonnenblick's two memoirs include characters with asthma, but I can't think of many others. This is a good chioce for readers who like problem books mixed with a little magical reality, like Reese's Every Bird a Prince and Haydu's One Jar of Magic. This could be a strong Newbery contender.