Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Reviewed by Anna M.
Grade  9

Between Shades of Gray was NOT a good book. It was a GREAT book! Not only did it have courageous characters and a fascinating, climax-building plot, it also told an untold, almost forgotten part of history that everyone should know!  

The story is about a fifteen-year-old Lithuanian girl named Lina and her family during Stalin’s “cleansing” of the Baltic region. Suddenly and unexpectedly, the Soviet soldiers stormed into Lina’s home and took her and her mother and brother captive. Her father was separated from her family and early on in the story Lina is determined to draw messages through her art, in hopes that her father will see and understand them. However, the harshness and toil the Soviets put her through forced Lina to grow up quickly. The Soviets treat Lina, and other Lithuanians, like animals.

FIVE out of FIVE! From the moment I picked the novel to the time I put it down, this book had an incredible storyline, and every page was a page-turner. Ruta Sepetys, the author, showed amazing talent, and the writing was well-done. The build of the plotline was outstanding. I also felt that the atrocities committed by the Soviet Union are not as known by the younger generation in today’s society. So by reading this book, you will not only read an excellent, well-written story, but you will also learn a part of history.

Between Shades of Gray was an amazing novel and I highly recommend it. I truly feel that it is our duty to remember all the courageous people that were murdered and persecuted by the Soviet Union. READ THIS BOOK! You will not regret it!