 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Between Shades of Gray
- By Ruta Sepetys
- Genre: Historical Fiction
Common Sense Media says
Harrowing, moving account of life in Stalin's labor camps.
Parents say
Kids say
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Between Shades of Gray is a story of horrific cruelty and violence for mature tweens and up. Babies, children, the elderly, and even grieving parents die awful deaths, and many more suffer terribly as they struggle to survive. Families are torn apart. There's just enough telling detail here to drive home the climate of terror in which the deportees lived, without lingering on the gruesome details. The novel illuminates an often-overlooked chapter in history, drawing comparisons to the misery inflicted by the Nazi regime. It's a very worthwhile read, but parents may want to make themselves available to discuss the troubling questions the book raises.
What's the story?
In the summer of 1941, 15-year-old Lina, her younger brother, and their mother are abruptly forced from their Lithuanian home by the Soviets and deported to a Siberian labor camp. Their father has already been arrested and sent to prison. The long train journey is horrifying, and there's little comfort upon arrival: Violence and death stalk the prisoners. Lina begins to build a friendship, and then a romance, with Andrius, a fellow prisoner. A talented artist, Lina records her experience in drawings, kept hidden from cruel guards, as she struggles to keep her faith in humanity and her hope for any future.
Is it any good?
Author Ruta Sepetys, the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee, based BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY on the stories of survivors she met while researching the deportation of Lithuanians under Stalin. The result is a moving fictional story of extraordinary loss that nevertheless thrums with hope. Sepetys uses a light touch when describing the cruelty and violence suffered by Lina and her fellow travelers: These passages are brief and to the point, which make them all the more heartbreaking.
The horrors Sepetys describes are staggering, but it's an effective and sensitive way to bring history to life. Readers will readily identify with Lina, who's abruptly ripped out of her comfortable life. It's impossible to read Between Shades of Gray and not think about how you'd cope in her situation. At the book's end, readers may want to learn more about what happened in the Baltics.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about parallels between this story and accounts by Holocaust survivors. Why is the story of the Baltics so much less familiar to people in the West?
There's a great deal of misery in Between Shades of Gray and other stories of government oppression, such as the Holocaust. How do you feel after reading these stories -- anxious, hopeful, distressed, optimistic? What's the purpose of these stories?
Lina records her story in artwork and cryptic drawings intended as messages to her father. Talk about other examples of artwork as storytelling.
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Between Shades of Gray
This book is very good and got me into reading more books about World War 2. Most books on World War 2 focus on the Jews, Germans, Soviets, and Japanese-Americans, but this one focuses on Lithuanians, Estonians, Latvians, and Finns caught up in the mess, which is rather rare. This book contains sex talk, smoking, sickness, murder, death, and might be inappropriate if you're disturbed by scenes where this happens. Overall it's a very good story and also very interesting.
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 6 years old
May 4, 2012
AGE
Between Shades of Gray Review 1
This was one of the best books that I think I've ever read. It teaches kids about the history and the horrors of the Holocaust. I loved it though. It kept me involved the whole time and I never wanted to put it down. It has short chapters so it's a pretty easy read. I loved this book and I highly recommend it to other kids as well!
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Topics: | friendship, history |
| Author: | Ruta Sepetys |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Historical Fiction |
| Publisher: | Philomel |
| Publication date: | March 22, 2011 |
| Number of pages: | 344 |
| Hardcover price: | $17.99 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 12 |
Review It
Register now to save reviews and advice articles to your personal lists!
Great alternatives handpicked by our editors
Already read it? What do you think?
More from Common Sense Media
Top advice and articles
