Review of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Between Shades of Gray

By Ruta Sepetys



Philomel

5 Scribbles

It is 38 degrees below zero in Trofimovsk, Russia today. Imagine that you were taken there at gunpoint without time to prepare, with only the clothes on your back, maybe a coat and mittens if you’re lucky. Now imagine that you have only what you can find for food and shelter in order to survive the Arctic winter. Would you live to tell about it?

Stalin, the leader of Russia from 1941 to 1953, decided to take over 3 countries, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia and to be rid of anyone there who he thought might be a threat to his rule. (At the same time Hitler was on his campaign to erase the Jewish people.) Stalin banished all sorts of the educated—teachers, doctors, lawyers, scientists, librarians—and those accused of being against Stalin—people who helped others escape , relatives of military workers, even children—to prison camps. Many of these camps were in Siberia. All of the camps were brutal places to be and almost assured the death of the prisoner. Lina is 15 when she is deported to Siberia with her mother and brother. Her courage in the face of such unbelievable danger and cruelty are what draws the reader into the story, and the descriptions of Lina’s artwork (accompanied by her love of the artist Munch) come to life through the author’s vivid descriptions. It isn’t hard to have empathy for Lina’s anger at the prison guards, to mourn for Lina’s helpless brother who becomes an old man before he is a teenager, and to adore her angelic mother who tries so very hard to make their suffering bearable and to see the good in others. All of the characters in the novel, even minor characters, become an extension of ourselves when we read, they become our family and we root for their survival while we dread the worst. And while the story is brutal, through the gift of her writing, the author shows us that in even the most despairing of conditions people can exhibit mercy and kindness. Short, powerful chapters with settings that make the reader’s teeth chatter reveal a part of history that previously existed only in whispers; I, for one, am pleased that Sepetys is now raising her voice into a shout so that all may know and learn about these atrocities.

This informative video explains how the author researched & wrote this story. The book becomes even richer once you've viewed this short video.

Review of London Calling by Edward Bloor

Knopf Books for
Young Readers

London Calling
by Edward Bloor
3 Scribbles
Martin Conway lives in the shadow of his grandfather’s memory, who lived at the American Embassy in London during WWII and served the famous General “Hollerin’ Hank” Lowery. In fact, the prep school Martin attends is funded in Lowery’s memory, and Lowery’s grandson attends there also, bullying Martin and the other “Scholarship” kids. Martin longs to go to Garden State Middle and escape the family legacy, so much so that he sinks into a deep depression. And it is one evening, in the midst of this sadness that Martin drifts off to sleep and into the London Blitz.  He witnesses thousands being bombed to death, and one boy in particular who asks for his help.  Is Martin going crazy? Or, does the radio he inherited from his grandmother have mystical powers? Martin must search to find the answer, to “do his bit” to help the victims of the Blitz of 1940, and while he does so, he discovers several startling secrets. Bloor does an excellent job at showing how depression can be passed down through generations, and while Martin’s speech is a bit stilted for a middle school-aged child, the reader will still be able to identify with Martin’s fears.  (Martin does, after all, attend an elite prep school.) With a “reveal” at the end and sweet, guiltless justice, the reader will leave this mystery satisfied and with a new interest in WWII history.