Other editions of book Boom Town Boy

A boy and his grandpa hope to strike oil in drought-ridden Oklahoma It’s hot in Oklahoma. There’s no wind, the wells are dry, and the ground is dead. Orvie’s family is doing everything they can to keep their farm going. If they miss a payment on the mortgage, the bank will take their home away, and they’ll have nowhere else to go. Farming is tough, honest work, and it’s no way to get rich. For years, Orvie’s grandfather has sworn that there’s oil under their land, and as soon as it starts bubbling up, they’ll have more money than they know what to do with. But when the oil boom sweeps across Oklahoma, Orvie will find there are some problems that money can’t solve. This rich portrait of life during the Oklahoma oil boom provides a lovingly detailed look at a forgotten time in history.

Boom Town Boy takes place in Oklahoma during the oil boom, which began in the early 1920s but continued to bring change and prosperity for many years. It is the fifth book in Lois Lenski's American Regional Series. The Robinson family are farmers in northern Oklahoma, an area called the Cherokee Strip which was first settled by pioneers in 1893. It is a region of high winds, poor soil, and little water. Farming is lots of hard work with little reward, so almost every family dreams of finding oil on their land. Grandfather Robinson is the biggest dreamer in the family, hoping to leave his children and grandchildren a better standard of living. Oil does come to the Robinsons along with excitement, danger and plenty of change for all. Orvie, the eleven-year-old son, is thrilled with all of it but his mother is dismayed as her house and yard are gradually covered in greasy oil while she begins to run a boarding house for workers. A small community moves onto their land, building flimsy cabins and a tent city.