This is a first-person retelling of events that happened a year before when Pete was in the seventh grade.

The explanation of his feelings is so detailed and sensitive that it seems the religious trauma happened yesterday, not a year ago.

The sound of the language is very important to Rylant. About her style, she says, "My voice reflects the way my family talks—in that southern matter-of-fact way. I was never aware of how poetic my grandparents were when they talked. I know I echo them when I write."

Her poetic style and the flavor of rural West Virginia are evident in A Tine White Dust. Reviewer Julie Cummins says, "Rylant's subtle telling has a hymn-like quality, sung in a melodic, soulful way which reverberates with the reader's compassion. Although the tone is serious, Peter's recounting is personal and sensitive—like religion and...