Thanks, Ruta Sepetys! You Gave me a Reader's Paradox

How many times have you read that “special" kind of book?  The one that you mourn when the last page is flipped. You know you're reading it when you feel the paradox growing; the paradox of not being able to put it down, yet attempting to read slowly so as to delay the end. You try to budget the number of pages you read per day just to make the story last longer. And when it's over, you have no other choice but to say goodbye to the characters. At least you get to pass the story on to others, and you feel excited about sharing, yet envious because your experience of discovery is finished.

There are many wonderful books in the market. I’ll never grow tired of reading. But a book of this caliber comes every once in a while. So here it is. I enviously share with you the title BETWEEN SHADES OF GRAY by Ruta Sepetys. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will budget your pages. You will not want to say goodbye to the exceptional characters in this captivating story.

Awards, Nominations and Discussions:

SCBWI Golden Kite Award

School Library Journal "Someday my Printz will Come"

YALSA Top Ten Books

Morris Award 

Jacket flap:

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?

This powerful tale of heartbreak and hope is sure to haunt readers long after they finish the last page.

·         Reading level: Ages 12 and up

·         Paperback: 368 pages

·         Publisher: Speak (April 3, 2012)

·         Language: English

·         ISBN-10: 014242059X

·         ISBN-13: 978-0142420591