Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

In June of 1941, a fifteen-year-old girl, Lina, her brother, and her mother are in their house when they hear hard knocks and screaming at the door. Being confused and full of shock, Lina and her family are taken in the night and are joined by others. Through painting and drawing, Lina is determined to find her way to her father and then back home. But where is she being taken?

            Throughout her journey, Lina overcomes obstacles that no other fifteen-year-old should ever have to endure. Constantly fighting for her life, Lina meets new people, some meaning more to her than others. Love comes about in the most tragic of times, but maybe it was a miracle she found it. Can she make it back alive?

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Reviewed by:  Rylie Smith

Teacher:  Mara Pufko

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys

In the life of Lina Vilkas, a fifteen-year-old teenager, she lives through her adolescent years contently. Before, she aesthetically expressed her love of art through artwork, giggled over boys with her cousin, Joana, and lived a life like any other Lithuanian teenage girl. However, Lina’s life falls apart when the NKVD come banging on their door to deport her along with her mother, Elena, and her younger brother, Jonas to a labor camp in Altai. From there on, Lina along many others will face multiple hardships, such as extreme labor and temperatures. Throughout her brave, unwilling journey, Lina meets Andrius, who will provide comfort to her life that was unwillingly taken from her. Not only does Lina have to face hardships, but she also has to risk her life, passing along messages and experiences through her art, hoping that someone out there will rescue them. 

I loved everything. I loved the relationship between Lina and Andrius, the sarcastic bald old man, Mr. Stalas, and Nikolai Kretzsky. I’d recommend this book for those who are a sucker for historical-fiction novels. Also, seeing how Between Shades of Grey isn’t centered on the Holocaust, it’s something new and different. That being said, I’m not surprised this is a well-known historical fiction novel.

Genre: Historical-Fiction

Reviewed by:  Nhi Nguyen, 9th, Mrs. Pufko