Between Shades of Gray

Books | Young Adult Fiction / Historical / Holocaust

4.3

(12.6K)

Ruta Sepetys

The inspiration for the major motion picture Ashes in the Snow!"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both." --The Washington PostFrom New York Times and international bestseller and Carnegie Medal winner Ruta Sepetys, author of Salt to the Sea, comes a story of loss and of fear -- and ultimately, of survival.A New York Times notable bookAn international bestsellerA Carnegie Medal nomineeA William C. Morris Award finalistA Golden Kite Award winnerFifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?A moving and haunting novel perfect for readers of The Book Thief.Praise for Between Shades of Gray:"Superlative. A hefty emotional punch." --The New York Times Book Review"Heart-wrenching . . . an eye-opening reimagination of a very real tragedy written with grace and heart." --The Los Angeles Times"At once a suspenseful, drama-packed survival story, a romance, and an intricately researched work of historial fiction." --The Wall Street Journal* "Beautifully written and deeply felt . . . An important book that deserves the widest possible readership." --Booklist, starred review “A superlative first novel. A hefty emotional punch.”--The New York Times Book Review “A brilliant story of love and survival.”--Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of Speak and Wintergirls * “Beautifully written and deeply felt…an important book that deserves the widest possible readership.”--Booklist, Starred Review

Historical Fiction

Tearjerkers

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More Details:

Author

Ruta Sepetys

Pages

368

Publisher

Penguin

Published Date

2011-03-22

ISBN

110147615X 9781101476154

Ratings

Google: 4.5

Community ReviewsSee all

"This story is for everybody. I read it after my 13 year old son fell in love with it, and everybody needs to read this. Harrowing and beautiful."

Skye Edelson-Bennett

"Interesting piece of historical fiction. The novel is vivid enough to let you picture many things. We don't see enough of the stories with these smaller countries and what the people had to endure. "

Joe H

"If you enjoy historical fiction do not let the fact that this is YA deter you from reading it. I knew nothing of the plight of the Lithuanians under Stalin until this book. It may have been heartbreaking to read, but it was a beautifully told story. This will not be the last book that I read by Ruta Sepetys. She is an excellent story teller. I’m passing it to my daughter to read next. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 "

Katie Harrison

"Either my first or second favorite novel! I recommend this novel to everyone I met for a year after I read it! It is so well written, with a plot that is so well developed, it gave me that feeling that I wanted to change the world. If you haven’t read this, go out and buy the book right now and start reading it! "

bailey ʚїɞ

"“Easy” read in the way that young adult novels are easy. Still very rewarding as an adult reader though. Sepetys puts a spotlight on an area of WWII I had no idea about. Thankful to have read it. "

Veronica Em

"I love this book. I mean I think about it all the time after I finished. You just feel so apart of it. The end is icing on the cake. 100/10 recommend"

Lilly Cluff

"I read this book about 10 years ago in middle school and I recently saw it and I was so compelled to get it. This side of WWII is not one I ever really truly remember learning about. It’s humbling. The courage and strength that these characters possess. The hope of one day being free that makes them wanna continue. At times it was gruesome, but beautifully written at the same time. Everyone should read this book"

Mackenzie Miller

"Loved the ending <3"

Sasha Nehoda

"I had to read this book during midsole school and I loved it. If you are into historical fiction and some romance this book was great. The book that also ties in with it is called Salt to Sea."

brookie

"*Please read the synopsis of the book before reading this review*<br/><br/>This book is BEAUTIFUL!!! The characters develop wonderfully, the description is so clear and easy to visualize, as well as the time period accurately portrayed. I loved this book. Though it covers a dark time period, Sepetys does an outstanding job of writing out the experience of a deportee who is fighting with her whole self to survive. <br/>I would recommend this book to anyone 13+. As it does cover some more sensitive topics, I feel that it is best for a more mature set of eyes to read this. I definitely believe though that this book is a must read. This time period is often glanced over as a bleak part of history and not talked about. Between Shades of Gray covers these many years in a way that you get a clearer sense of the deportees experience but not in a way that is boring or uninteresting. I felt so many emotions while reading this book. It was hard in some chapters as it truly was a bleak time period, but I promise it’s worth the read. I hope this review was helpful!! If you choose to read this book, I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did. :)"