1. There are some elements in this story that seem a little farfetched, such as Billie Jo's being the top eighth grade student in Oklahoma and her father carelessly leaving kerosene by the stove. Was it necessary to have stretched credibility this far? Couldn't Billie Jo simply have been the top student in her school, and couldn't the fire have started another way to create the same effect?

2. Novels always have a turning point, when the plight of the main character changes direction. Most novels have a major and a minor turning point (called "climax" and anticlimax"). What are they in Out of the Dust? Is it when the good rains come, or when Billie Jo wins third place in the competition, or when she cannot perform at graduation, or when the government sends food aide? Or other events?

3. The chapter entitled "Dust Storm" embodies...