Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Sandra Dallas Website: https://www.sandradallas.com/

Sandra Dallas Biography: https://www.sandradallas.com/bio

Activities & Resources:

Dust Bowl

Learn about the Dust Bowl: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/dust_bowl.php

Learn about the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma: http://www.americaslibrary.gov/es/ok/es_ok_dustbowl_1.html

Use the following images to illustrate the seriousness of the Dust Bowl. Use a K-W-L chart to write down your thoughts and questions about the images:

Image 1: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017760348/

Image 2: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017759854/

Image 3: https://www.loc.gov/item/2017760334/

Watch an actual dust storm approach (3:02): https://youtu.be/q24-vH6AJTI

The Great Depression

Learn the prices of different items during the Great Depression and research the item’s present day price: https://www.tpsnva.org/teach/lq/015/assign/prices.htm

Learn about the causes of the Great Depression: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/great_depression.php

Daily life on a farm during the Great Depression: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/daily_life_farm_during_the_great_depression.php

Learn about the stock market crash of 1929: https://www.ducksters.com/history/us_1900s/stock_market_crash_1929.php

There are many people in Benny’s life that are kind and inclusive. Spread the word inclusion in your own community by using the resources provided by Spread the Word Inclusion, Best Buddies, and Special Olympics: https://www.spreadtheword.global/take-action/

Find Special Olympics events near you: https://www.specialolympics.org/programs

MakerSpace Activities:

During the Dust Bowl dust and dirt was everywhere and would easily cover both outside and inside a person’s home. Brainstorm and develop a way for people to stop the dust from entering their homes. The inventions must include household items.

Using Google Earth, map the journey from Oklahoma to Kansas and the possible route from Kansas to California.

Create a story quilt by decorating each square with important parts of the book. Pieces of scrap fabric can be cut into squares, and the kids can decorate the squares using fabric pens. The completed squares can either be sewn together or glued to some sort of backing.

Using a program like Canva or Adobe Spark to create an infographic that can be used to help people prevent and or prepare for a future dust bowl.

Discussion Questions:

The book opens with the Turner family’s car breaking down by the side of the road. Why do you think the author introduces us to the main characters this way?

Why are Hallie and Tom so protective of their brother Benny? Do you feel protective of your family members?

Why are Hallie and Tom so afraid when Mr. Carlson approaches their campsite? What does this tell you about Tom and Hallie’s time on the road?

Why are Hallie and Tom cautious when introducing Benny to Mr. Carlson? Should they be cautious?

Why are Hallie and Tom so hesitant to accept Mr. Carlson’s help? Are they right to be hesitant? Why or why not?

The Turners are planning on leaving Kansas before winter. Why is it important to get on the road before winter? What are some other things the Turner family must take into consideration during the Great Depression?

Why is Harold mean to the Turners? Why are Hallie and Tom worried about his cruel behavior?

Hallie flinches when Harold calls her and Tom squatters. Why does that word bother her?

Why is Harold cruel to Benny? What would you do if you witnessed Harold being cruel to Benny?

What do the Carlson’s offer the Turners? How do the Turners feel about the offer? What would you do in Hallie and Tom’s situation?

What happened when Hallie tried to enroll Benny in school? Why do you think this happened?

What happened on Hallie’s first day of school? How would you handle the situation?

Why were some of Hallie’s classmates cruel to her? Do you agree with how she handles the cruelty?

What does Hallie find out about Jimmy? How does this make her feel?

Why does Hallie make Jimmy an extra sandwich? Have you ever been in a situation when your opinion of someone has changed because you learn something new about the person?

How does Hallie react when Mrs. Carlson asks them to be a part of their family? Why?

Why did Hallie and Tom help the Trigg family when their car broke down?

What did Harold do to cause more trouble for the Turners? Why did he cause more trouble for the Turners?

Why was Tom at the Morton’s house the night Harold’s car was stolen? Why did he keep it a secret?

Why was Hallie so surprised by the town’s reaction when Benny went missing? Who’s help surprised her the most and why?

Book Talk Teasers:

Watch the TBA book trailer for Someplace to Call Home.

Read the Readers Theater for Someplace to Call Home.

Read Alikes:

Family

Holm, Jennifer L. Turtle in Paradise. In 1935, when her mother gets a job housekeeping for a woman who does not like children, eleven-year-old Turtle is sent to stay with relatives she has never met in far away Key West, Florida. (Novelist Plus)

Vanderpool, Clare. Moon Over Manifest. Twelve-year-old Abilene Tucker is the daughter of a drifter who, in the summer of 1936, sends her to stay with an old friend in Manifest, Kansas, where he grew up, and where she hopes to find out some things about his past. (Novelist Plus)

Wolk, Lauren. Echo Mountain. When twelve-year-old Ellie and her family lose livelihood and move to a mountain cabin in 1934, she quickly learns to be an outdoors woman and, when needed, a healer. (Novelist Plus)

The Great Depression

Curtis, Christopher Paul. The Mighty Miss Malone. Academically gifted Deza Malone and her family embark on a journey to find her job-seeking father when he goes missing and ends up in a shanty town in Flint, Michigan during the Great Depression. (Novelist Plus)

Fusco, Kimberly Newton. The Wonder of Charlie Anne. In a 1930s Massachusetts farm town torn by the Depression, racial tension, and other hardships, Charlie Anne and her black next-door neighbor Phoebe form a friendship that begins to transform their community. (Novelist Plus)

Martin, Ann M. Better to Wish. In 1930 Abby Nichols is an eight-year-old girl growing up in Maine, but as the Depression deepens, and her mother dies, the responsibility of taking care of her family falls to her, and she has to put her dreams of going to college and becoming a writer on hold. (Novelist Plus)

Reviews:

Someplace to Call Home. Dallas, Sandra. Sleeping Bear Press. 2019.

Someplace to Call Home

Dallas, Sandra (author)

Aug. 2019. 222p. Sleeping Bear Press, $13.92 (9781585364145). Grades 3-5.

REVIEW. First published August 1, 2019. (School Library Journal).

School Library Journal (August 1, 2019)

Gr 3-5-Dallas crafts an authentic, character-driven story about the American past. As the Great Depression overwhelms the country and a "dust bowl" sweeps across the Great Plains, Tom, Hallie, and Benny Turner find themselves without mother or father. Unable to secure work, the children leave their home in Oklahoma and head toward California. When their Model T car breaks down in Kansas, they expect to stay only a few days, but a friendly farmer and his family soon persuade the children to remain permanently. For the first time in months, the Turners have hope. Tom has work, Hallie returns to school, and Benny has a friend to play with. But life is far from easy. Often called "Okies" and "squatters," the children must contend with prejudice from many of the townspeople. However, when disaster strikes, the whole town miraculously offers the Turners a warm and helping hand. Despite the harshness of this time in history, Dallas's focus on the children serves as a gentle introduction to the Great Depression. As in all good historical fiction, the dialogue and setting are accurate and natural. The plot is intentional and evenly paced; nothing is trite or modernized. The descriptions of Benny and his friend Tessie, who seem to be developmentally disabled, are carefully not anachronistic, though secondary characters do use insensitive language toward and about them. VERDICT This historical novel about the importance of family, belonging, and kindness will do well among young readers interested in the past.-Rebecca Redinger, Lincoln Park Branch, Chicago Public Library © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Reprinted with permission from School Library Journal, 2019. http://www.slj.com.