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Historical Fiction: Between Shades of Gray


Sepetys, Ruta. Between Shades of Gray. Philomel Books, 2011.
    ISBN 978-0399254123
Plot summary/ critical analysis

1941, Lithuania: Lina and her family are taken by the Soviets in the middle of the night.
They are separated from Lina’s father and taken to train cars that will eventually take them
and other Lithuanians, Estonians, and Latvians to Soviet labor camps. Lina takes every
opportunity to draw, finding both a release and purpose; she hopes that her drawing will
make their way to her father so they can be found and rescued. Lina manages to form
relationships with other prisoners, even falling in love at one point. Underneath all the
trauma is a story of continuing to have hope and to fight even when it’s hard.

 Sepetys tackles the trauma and confusion in a straightforward way. It is depressing and
necessary storytelling of a time in history that was covered up and ignored for decades.
The descriptions are vivid and heartbreaking; you feel as if you experiencing each tragedy
alongside Lina. Snippets of her memories of life before being captured are woven in between
her current situation and do even more to make us feel empathy toward her and her family.

 While not necessarily a happy ending, there is closure at the end, and Sepetys calls on
readers to share this story and the real life tragedies that occurred so the world may know
and not repeat its many mistakes.

 An author’s note on research and her own family’s connection to the horrors in the Baltics
during WWII accompany maps of Lina’s journey.

Awards and Review Excerpts-
Golden Kite Award
YALSA Top 10 Best Fiction for Young Adults
Carnegie Medal Shortlist
NCSS/CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book
NYT Best Seller
Made into the movie Ashes in the Snow
"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both."
--The Washington Post
“When teenager Lina and her family are ripped from their home in 1940s Lithuania, it's only
the beginning of a terrible journey that will take her to a labor camp in Siberia as part of
Stalin's forced relocation program. Moving, edifying, and quietly beautiful, Sepetys's
well-researched novel is an exquisite look at a devastating atrocity.”
-- School Library Journal 2011.
Connections-
Lesson plans and activities for Between Shades of Gray:

Another book by Ruta Sepetys: Salt to the Sea
Movie based on Between Shades of Gray:
Ashes in the Snow (2019)


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