Linda Sue Park
In the 1930s and '40s, Josef Stalin's regime killed tens of millions of people, a number so large that the mind tends to shunt it off into the abstract space reserved for statistics. Between Shades of Gray tells the individual's story that makes such cold facts meaningful…Lina recounts her story with a straightforward clarity that trusts readers to summon images of starvation, disease and death, and grounds them in a reality young adults can understand.
—The New York Times
Mary Quattlebaum
[Sepetys's] prose is restrained and powerful…Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.
—The Washington Post
From the Publisher
Praise for Between Shades of Gray:
“A superlative first novel. A hefty emotional punch.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.”—The Washington Post
"Beautiful…a superb though grueling novel.”—The Wall Street Journal
“An eye-opening reimagination of a very real tragedy written with grace and heart.”—Los Angeles Times
“An engrossing and poignant story of the fortitude of the human spirit in a dark time in Lithuanian history.”—Associated Press
“Brave Lina is a heroine young and old readers can believe in.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Please read this small window into a tragedy.”—NPR
“Beautifully written and researched, it captures the devastation of war while celebrating the will to survive.”—Family Circle
* “A harrowing page-turner.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
* “A gripping story.”—School Library Journal, starred review
* “Bitterly sad, fluidly written…Sepetys' flowing prose gently carries readers.”—Kirkus, starred review
* "Beautifully written and deeply felt…an important book that deserves the widest possible readership.”—Booklist, starred review
“A haunting chronicle, demonstrating that even in the heart of darkness ‘love is the most powerful army.'”—The Horn Book Magazine
“Stalin deported and murdered millions, but he could not destroy the seeds of memory, compassion, and art that they left behind. From those seeds, Ruta Septeys has crafted a brilliant story of love and survival that will keep their memory alive for generations to come.”—Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of Speak and Wintergirls
“In terrifying detail, Ruta Sepetys re-creates World War II coming of age all too timely today. Between Shades of Gray is a document long overdue.”—Richard Peck, Newbery Award–winning author of A Year Down Yonder
“Between Shades of Gray is a story of astonishing force. I feel grateful for a writer like Ruta Sepetys who bravely tells the hard story of what happens to the innocent when world leaders and their minions choose hate and oppression. Beautiful and unforgettable.”—Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor–winning author of Hitler Youth
“Sepetys has penned a harrowing and heartbreaking novel. Beautifully written and important.”—Harlan Coben, international bestselling author of Shelter
Ruta Sepetys
Praise for Between Shades of Gray:
“A superlative first novel. A hefty emotional punch.”—The New York Times Book Review
“Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both.”—The Washington Post
"Beautiful…a superb though grueling novel.”—The Wall Street Journal
“An eye-opening reimagination of a very real tragedy written with grace and heart.”—Los Angeles Times
“An engrossing and poignant story of the fortitude of the human spirit in a dark time in Lithuanian history.”—Associated Press
“Brave Lina is a heroine young and old readers can believe in.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Please read this small window into a tragedy.”—NPR
“Beautifully written and researched, it captures the devastation of war while celebrating the will to survive.”—Family Circle
• “A harrowing page-turner.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review
• “A gripping story.”—School Library Journal, starred review
• “Bitterly sad, fluidly written…Sepetys' flowing prose gently carries readers.”—Kirkus, starred review
• "Beautifully written and deeply felt…an important book that deserves the widest possible readership.”—Booklist, starred review
“A haunting chronicle, demonstrating that even in the heart of darkness ‘love is the most powerful army.'”—The Horn Book Magazine
“Stalin deported and murdered millions, but he could not destroy the seeds of memory, compassion, and art that they left behind. From those seeds, Ruta Septeys has crafted a brilliant story of love and survival that will keep their memory alive for generations to come.”—Laurie Halse Anderson, bestselling author of Speak and Wintergirls
“In terrifying detail, Ruta Sepetys re-creates World War II coming of age all too timely today. Between Shades of Gray is a document long overdue.”—Richard Peck, Newbery Award–winning author of A Year Down Yonder
“Between Shades of Gray is a story of astonishing force. I feel grateful for a writer like Ruta Sepetys who bravely tells the hard story of what happens to the innocent when world leaders and their minions choose hate and oppression. Beautiful and unforgettable.”—Susan Campbell Bartoletti, Newbery Honor–winning author of Hitler Youth
“Sepetys has penned a harrowing and heartbreaking novel. Beautifully written and important.”—Harlan Coben, international bestselling author of Shelter
