Scottsdale Public Library

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2011

Call Number:	TEEN FICTION SEPETYS R
Format:	Book
Author:	Sepetys, Ruta.
Title:	Between shades of gray / Ruta Sepetys.
Publisher, Date:	New York : Philomel Books, 2011.
Description:	344 pages : maps ; 22 cm
Summary:	In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina, her mother, and brother are pulled from their Lithuanian home by Soviet guards and sent to Siberia, where her father is sentenced to death in a prison camp while she fights for her life, vowing to honor her family and the thousands like hers by burying her story in a jar on Lithuanian soil. Based on the author's family, includes a historical note.
Target Audience Note:	012-up. HL490L Lexile Decoding demand: 96 (very high) Semantic demand: 100 (very high) Syntactic demand: 74 (high) Structure demand: 87 (very high) Lexile
Subjects:	Labor camps -- Young adult fiction. Soviets (Councils) -- Young adult fiction. Historical fiction -- Young adult fiction. Lithuania -- History -- Soviet occupation, 1940-1941 -- Young adult fiction. Siberia (Russia) -- History -- 20th century -- Young adult fiction. Soviet Union -- History -- 1925-1953 -- Young adult fiction. Equity & Social Issues. Religion. Equity & Social Issues. Religion (Jewish).
Notes:	$17.99 Accelerated Reader AR MG+ 3.6 9 142569. Morris Debut Award Finalist, 2012.
LCCN:	2009050092
ISBN:	9780399254123 9780399254123
Copies Owned:	2
Copies Available:	2
Current Holds:	0

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Fiction/Biography Profile

Characters
	Lina (Female), Lithuanian, Jewish, Soviet soldiers tear her family apart;
Genre
	Young adult fiction
	Historical
Topics
	Family
	Holocaust survivors
	Nazis
	Emotional trauma
	History
	Labor movements
	Survival
	Racism
Setting
	Siberia, Russia - Eastern Europe
	Russia - Eastern Europe
Time Period
	--

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Publishers Weekly Review

Through the pained yet resilient narration of 15-year-old Lina, a gifted artist, this taut first novel tells the story of Lithuanians deported and sent to Siberian work camps by Stalin during WWII. From the start, Sepetys makes extensive use of foreshadowing to foster a palpable sense of danger, as soldiers wrench Lina's family from their home. The narrative skillfully conveys the deprivation and brutality of conditions, especially the cramped train ride, unrelenting hunger, fears about family members' safety, impossible choices, punishing weather, and constant threats facing Lina, her mother, and her younger brother. Flashbacks, triggered like blasts of memory by words and events, reveal Lina's life before and lay groundwork for the coming removal. Lina's romance with fellow captive Andrius builds slowly and believably, balancing some of the horror. A harrowing page-turner, made all the more so for its basis in historical fact, the novel illuminates the persecution suffered by Stalin's victims (20 million were killed), while presenting memorable characters who retain their will to survive even after more than a decade in exile. Ages 12-up. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Summary

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 Post

From 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 book
An international bestseller
A Carnegie Medal nominee
A William C. Morris Award finalist
A Golden Kite Award winner
A Kirkus Review Best Young Adult Book of the Century

Fifteen-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

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