Between Shades of Gray book cover
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Now a movie!

Between Shades of Gray

By Ruta Sepetys

An international bestseller, a #1 New York Times bestseller, and now a major motion picture! Ruta Sepetys’s Between Shades of Gray is now the film 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

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

Educator Resources

State Awards

Recommended reading lists from your state's teacher or librarian associations!
  • Alaska
    • Pacific Northwest Library Association Young Reader's Choice Award
  • Colorado
    • Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award, 2015
  • Georgia
    • Georgia Children's Book Award, 2012-2013
  • Indiana
    • Eliot Rosewater Indiana High School Book Award, 2013-2014
    • Young Hoosier Book Award, 2012-2013
  • Iowa
    • Iowa Association of School Librarians Teen Book Award, 2013-2014
  • Kansas
    • Bluegrass Book Award, 2012-2013
  • Maryland
    • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award, 2012-2013
  • Michigan
    • Great Lakes, Great Books Award, 2012-2013
  • Minnesota
    • Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award, 2013-2014
  • Nevada
    • Nevada Young Reader's Award, 2012-2013
  • New Hampshire
    • The Flume: NH Teen Reader's Choice Award, 2012-2013
  • Oklahoma
    • Sequoyah Book Awards, 2013-2014
  • Pennsylvania
    • Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Award, 2012-2013
  • Rhode Island
    • Rhode Island Teen Book Award, 2012-2013
  • South Carolina
    • Capitol Choices, 2013-2014
    • South Carolina Book Awards, 2013-2014
  • Texas
    • TAYSHAS Reading List, 2012-2013
    • Texas Lonestar Reading List, 2012-2013
  • Virginia
    • Virginia Readers' Choice Award, 2012-2013
  • Wisconsin
    • Golden Archer Award, 2016
  • Tennessee
    • Volunteer State Book Award, 2013-2014

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