Between Shades of Gray (2011) (edit title/settings)

• Rated 4 stars

“Another story of WWII and the unfair treatment of a nation. Between Shades of Gray follows Lina, a 15 year old girl as she and her mother and brother are sent to Siberia by the Soviet government. The parallels to Hitler and his treatment of the Jews is obvious. Students can read both and compare. Studying the geography of the trip and Siberia would add a great deal to this story. This book can be paired with nonfiction accounts of the terrible events which befell people during the reign of some of the world's most brutal dictators. ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Awestruck. NOt only by authors style, but the story is heartrending.
As mentioned, Americans know little about the Balkin Cleansing under Stalin.
Thank you Ruta for giving your time and sacrifice to author this story.
I hope to meet you in person someday.
”

• Rated 4 stars

“This book is pretty good. It's a historical fiction book and i don't really like historical fiction books but this book was good. It is about a 15 year old girl, Lina, and she, her brother, and her mom and her dad all live in Lithuania. But Lina, her mom, and brother, Jonas, all get deported by the Soviet Secret Police and her father gets put in a prison. This book is all about Lina and her family's journey through all of the train rides, deaths, and labor camps. Even if you don't like historical fiction books i would still read this book.”

• Rated 5 stars

“Maybe the best YA book I have ever read. I actually read it twice. If I were still in the classroom I would teach this novel. I never knew about the Lithuanian Holocaust. Very compelling story.”

• Rated 0 stars

“03/13: Aramis recommended.
Amazon Book Description: *Starred Review* Sepetys' first novel offers a harrowing and horrifying account of the forcible relocation of countless Lithuanians in the wake of the Russian invasion of their country in 1939. In the case of 16-year-old Lina, her mother, and her younger brother, this means deportation to a forced-labor camp in Siberia, where conditions are all too painfully similar to those of Nazi concentration camps. Lina's great hope is that somehow her father, who has already been arrested by the Soviet secret police, might find and rescue them. A gifted artist, she begins secretly creating pictures that can--she hopes--be surreptitiously sent to him in his own prison camp. Whether or not this will be possible, it is her art that will be her salvation, helping her to retain her identity, her dignity, and her increasingly tenuous hold on hope for the future. Many others are not so fortunate. Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, estimates that the Baltic States lost more than one-third of their populations during the Russian genocide. Though many continue to deny this happened, Sepetys' beautifully written and deeply felt novel proves the reality is otherwise. Hers is an important book that deserves the widest possible readership. Grades 7-12. --Michael Cart ”

• Rated 5 stars

“May be one of the best books I have ever read!”

• Rated 5 stars

“Amazing... that's all I have to say”

• Rated 5 stars

“Between Shades of Gray is amazing! It's one of the best books I've ever read! It is about how a girl survives through the horrible ways of the Soviet Union. I recommend it! ”

• Rated 5 stars

“Seriously best book I've ever read!”

• Rated 5 stars

“This is another great WWII book. It is interesting as it is about a part of the war that I was not previously familiar with.”