I enjoyed the original (as much as one can enjoy such a horrific tale), and I've enjoyed other novels that have been redone as graphics so I was looking forward to this. The story is still all there, but I think what happens is between the chaos of the pictures and the amount of words needed to convey what is happening, it becomes a jumbled mess and is hard to focus on. The story is still all there, it is still told in a heartbreaking and difficult manner, but because so much of the words had to be kept to provide the understanding needed, it doesn't work for me. Maybe others will like it. Maybe this will be great for teachers who want to use the story in class and provide the option of the novel or the graphic novel. Again, it's all still there and all still hard to read. Hopefully this provides another resource to get students interested in this part of history, while also reading.

A perfect interpretation of the novel. The artwork was beautiful but reflected the bleak, devastating time.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic copy of this amazing book. This story is very similar to what my grandmother and her family lived through in Belarus during the war. She was 8 years old and the oldest of 4 children when the war began. While her father was drafted to defend the country, she was helping her mother with her siblings (4 year old, 2 year old, and a newborn) on the long transport to Siberia, and then working alongside her to feed everybody and keep everyone alive. These stories are too important and must be told! The graphic novel format adds an element of reality and makes the telling that much more poignant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peguin Young Readers Group for the review copy of the graphic novel version of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys. This book was first written as a young adult novel and is now adapted into a graphic novel. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the storyline is immersive.

Between Shades of Gray takes place during World War II. In June of 1941, 15 year old Lina, her mother and brother were arrested in the middle of the night and deported from Lithuania to Siberia. Through this time, Lina records the horrific conditions and terrible treatment using her artistic talents, prays to see her father again, and meets a young man.

This stunning book will stay with you for awhile.

This graphic novel tells the story of love and hope during a difficult time for a young Lituanian girl who was taken along with her family by the Soviets. Graphic novels are the best way for me to read any type of historical fiction. I didn't know that this graphic novel was an adaptation of a novel until I went on GoodReads and saw people stating that it was. I think this book does a great job of telling the stories of people who lived through this time. This book is a wonderful read but the topic is heavy and this book is really sad. I think that the art style goes well with the story as the colors are muted.

Between Shades of Grey Book Review

I will be honest…before reading the graphic novel, “Between Shades of Grey,” I had only watched the film adaptation of this book, “Snow In The Ashes.” The film was so heartbreaking, but it was very well done in my opinion. So it begs the question…why hadn’t I read the book (which I own) if I liked the film? Well, my hesitation stems from my “not-wanting-to -go-through-the-emotional-heartbreak” again. However, when the graphic adaptation was announced to be published soon, I decided it was time I attempt the novel again…in a different format. Well, it was definitely as heartbreaking as I remembered from the film, but I felt a deeper connection to the overall story and characters with the help of the amazing artwork. The art brought the characters to light and painted them in a realistic, and haunting light as they go through this terrible ordeal. After reading the graphic novel, I feel I can finally read the novel so I can finally bring my reading experience with “Between Shades Of Grey” to a full circle. Thank you Penguin Teen for sending me the e-book arc!

I read the Between Shades of Gray novel and thought it was absolutely fantastic and heartbreaking at the same time.

The art in the graphic novel is beautiful and does a fantastic job of showing the emotions. I also love that we get to see some of the sketches, because those play such an important role in the story.

I did find that some of the intensity was lost because Sepetys' writing style is absolutely beautiful and the writing is much more sparse in the graphic novel.

I think this would be a fantastic book for a younger audience. I remember reading Maus in middle school and could see this being used in a similar context to show a different POV from the same time.

Ruta Sepetys, author
Andrew Donkin, adapter
Brann Livesay, Chris Dickey, Dave Kopka, illustrators

My Thoughts:
This graphic novel about the1941 deportation of Lithuanians, from the point of view of Lina, a 15-year-old Lithuanina, her mother and her little brother. Her father has already been taken away to a prison camp. Lina is an artist so as she tries to track their movements, she tries to draw and write to her father so that he can find them. The graphic novel is an adaptation of Sepetys' 10th anniversary of her debut novel of the same name. This is a lesser known story of the horrors of war and the graphic novel, with less text and more concentrated graphics heightens the horrors of Lina's experience. It is possible to finish this in one sitting, but mental breaks are necessary to keep a healthy wall between the story and the reader.

From the Publisher:
Just in time for the 10th anniversary of Between Shades of Gray, Ruta Sepetys's award-winning debut novel, and inspiration for the major motion picture Ashes in the Snow, is now a gorgeous graphic novel!

From #1 New York Times and international bestselling author and Carnegie Medal winner of Salt to the Sea comes a story of loss and of fear--and ultimately of survival--in a brand-new four-color format.

"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both." --The Washington Post

A New York Times notable book
An international bestseller
A Carnegie Medal nominee
A William C. Morris Award finalist
A Golden Kite Award winner

June, 1941. A knock comes at the door and the life of fifteen-year-old Lina Vilkas changes forever. She's arrested by the Soviet secret police and deported from Lithuania to Siberia with her mother and younger brother. The conditions are horrific and Lina must fight for her life and for the lives of those around her, including the boy that she loves. Risking everything, she secretly passes along clues in the form of drawings, hoping they will reach her father's prison camp. But will her messages, and her courage, be enough to reunite her family? Will they be enough to keep her alive?

A moving and haunting novel perfect for readers of The Book Thief, now available as a stunning graphic novel.

Quick Stats
Age Rating: 14+
Over All: 5 stars
Plot: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
Setting:
Writing: 5/5

Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.

TW: physical abuse, violence, genocide, war, death, cruelty, sexual assault, starvation, illness, forced prostitution, + more

I read the original version of Between Shades of Gray about two years ago, and from the very first line, which is the same in this version of the book, “They took me in my nightgown.” I knew that this book was going to change the way I see the world. And it did.

This is the same story as the original book, published 10 years ago, but reformatted and illustrated into graphic novel form. I had two main concerns about how the book would translate into a graphic novel.

1. How were they going to take this whole book and condense it into a graphic novel (which has less words than a traditional novel) without losing something important?
I can’t pretend to know how they did so—I don’t know the first thing about adapting a book into a graphic novel—but nothing felt to be missing from the graphic novel. All of the important scenes and events were there, and all of the themes and emotions were displayed even more powerfully with the addition of illustrations.

2. Are they going to be able to adapt this novel, which shows horrible, disturbing truths, into images without illustrating anything too graphic?
This book has many scenes of abuse, death, sexual assault, and more. In the original book, Ruta Sepetys masterfully expresses the severity of these events without ever becoming too graphic or detailed, allowing the book to safely fit within the YA genre. I wasn’t sure if they would be able to successfully translate those scenes into graphic novel form without directly illustrating them, which would potentially have caused the book to feature images too mature for a YA audience. However, Sepetys, Kopka, and Donkin successfully portrayed these events through text boxes of internal monologue (a staple of this book) placed on background imagery that gave you the sense and mood of what was going on without visually showing it.

Ruta Sepetys had an incredible story already. One that taught me many heartbreaking—but oh so important—truths about the horrors of World War 2. And now, along with Dave Kopka and Andrew Donkin, the book has been reimagined in a way that makes it even more impactful and will bring new readers to Lina’s story.

Thank you to the author and publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

In 1939, tens of thousands of Lithuanians were forcibly taken from their homes by the Soviet secret police and deported to labor camps. This is a part of World War II's history that I was not aware of until I picked up this graphic novel.

It is a different type of emotional experience reading about this painful part of history through the form of a graphic novel. Each of the characters, including all of those who died, are vividly portrayed in faded and melancholy color. This book does not hold back on any of the gruesome and horrific living conditions of the deportees.

A deep and emotional read, and an important part of history we must remember.

I can't believe it has been 10 years since I first read Between Shades of Gray. It was one of those books that introduced me to a new aspect of WWII and it had such a profound influence on me when I read it, one that has stayed with me ever since. Although the novel is still certainly well worth reading, so is the new graphic novel about what happened to 15-year-old Lina Vilkas and her family.
Lina is arrested by the Soviet secret police or NKVD along with her mother and younger brother, Jonas, taken from their home in Kaunas, Lithuania on the night of June 14, 1941. Loaded into a truck along with other families that had been rounded up, the Vilkas soon find themselves at a remote train station, where other truckloads of arrested Lithuanians are arriving.

Everyone is put into crowded cattle cars that just sit there for days. During that time, Lina meets Andrius and the two sneak out together at night. Lina is hoping to find her father since they don't know what has happened to him. Just before the trains leave the station, she finds her father in another train.

The family is happy to know he is still alive even if they don't know what will happen to him. When their train finally leaves the station, they spend the next 42 days traveling to a remote area of Siberia, where they are forced to sign a paper that convicts them of crimes against the Soviet Union (their crime - simply being Lithuanian) and sentences them to 25 years of labor.

Life in Siberia is hard, the winters are brutal and the degradations constantly inflicted by the Soviets make things even more difficult. Over time, Lina and Andrius find that they are attracted to each other, but often harsh conditions come between them. Eventually, they are separated when Lina and her family are sent to another prison camp in Siberia, where she finds life with Andrius even harsher.



Lina manages to document everything that happens to her, her family, and everyone else using her artistic talent and drawing it all on whatever paper she could find and using whatever material she could draw with. She also manages to send letters to her father in another prison camp in the hope that they will reach him. But can her dream of her family being reunited after the war keep Lina's hopes and spirits up long enough to survive?

I'm always skeptical of novels that have been turned into graphic formats. It feels like a novel has so much depth that could easily get lost. But I am glad to say that Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel has made the transition successfully and it is all thanks to the wonderful images that really capture so much of what happened to Lina and her family. The text is spare yet spot on, and the images are so detailed and should be throughly explored for what they have to say, too. For example, this image of the chaos at the train station as truckloads of arrested Lithuanians are forced into the waiting cattle cars. The confusion, fear, harsh treatment and Soviet threat is all there on people's faces and in their body language.

Between Shades of Gray: The Graphic Novel is an excellent addition to the history WWII. The Soviet treatment of citizens of countries they occupied during WWII isn't as well known as the history of the cruel treatment of Jews and political enemies by the Nazis and a graphic novel just may be what some readers are most comfortable with, although I highly recommend the original novel, too.

This book is recommended for readers age 13+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

When I read Between Shades Of Gray by Ruta Sepetys ten years ago, it hit me hard. I think I may have even cried while reading it (but it has been ten years and so much has happened since then). When I saw the story was being adapted in graphic novel form, I just knew I had to read it. I had to make this book a priority. Turns out that this story has impact regardless of the format it is told in.

In 1941, a knock comes in the middle of the night and wakes Lina, her mother, and little brother. It’s the Soviet secret police. Her whole family is arrested and sent to Siberia. Between Shades Of Gray: the Graphic Novel by Ruta Sepetys details a history that I was not taught in school. There is resilience and the will to survive. There is also kindness from unexpected placeness. Lina’s story is harrowing and one that needed to be told.

I think that seeing this story in graphic novel form made it slightly harder to digest. However, the visuals hit their mark. I did have a hard time continuing after reading about the woman who was arrested just after giving birth and the fact that they also arrested her newborn baby who ultimately dies. I found that to be really very affecting. But that kind of thing hits me harder now that I have very young children. This book though is so worth reading — and I think that the graphic novel format does make it accessible to more people. Nothing was lost in the new format.

I am not a fan of books about World War II or that time period, but I have to say that I really enjoyed this adaption of this book. I felt the pain and anguish along with the characters. The illustrations fit the tone and help convey the agony, fear, and despair of the characters. This is a book that I will include in my library. I will also encourage my teachers to use it paired with the novel itself to help their students see the story and connect with the characters in a different way.

Lina’s life changes forever when she and her family are rounded up in the middle of the night by the Soviet secret police, put into a cattle car, and deported to a forced labor camp in Siberia. She will do anything she can to reunite with her father and keep her family and friends safe. Will her sacrifices be enough to see them through?

Based upon the unimaginable Holocaust that Baltic nations faced at the hands of Stalin during WWII, this eye opening and moving beyond measure story is a must read. Well researched and thoughtfully written, this beautifully illustrated edition does an incredible job of storytelling in this new format.

Unreadable in digital arc version that was sent to me. Formatting was really messy. Rating 5 stars so I don't mess with the rating by rating lower.

Between Shades of Grey by Ruta Sepetys
Overall rating: 5/5
This story has and always will be a 5 out of 5 star read for me.

When I was in middle school, I learned that I loved to read. For some reason, I didn’t start off with the typical middle school books many of peers read such as The Hunger Games or Percy Jackson (interestingly enough, I’m going through that reading phase now). I wasn’t picky at all with the books I was reading, and when my parents would take me into the bookstore I would grab any book whose cover looked remotely interesting. This was how I came to read Between Shades of Grey for the first time. It’s kind of strange for a 12-year-old girl’s favorite book to be about a young LIthuanian girl’s life after being deported to a Siberian prison camp, but for some reason, it was. I’ve read this book about 10 times throughout the past 8 years, and it will forever be one of my favorite books of all time.

This isn’t a fun book to read, but that’s kind of the point. It shows a side of World War II that’s hardly known, let alone talked about in a history class. It’s a story of loss and grief, of desperation and agony, and if it doesn’t make you cry it will surely make your heart hurt along with Lina’s. But despite the horrific events that take place, hope persists. Even in the darkest of moments and during the lowest of lows, empathy and hope find a way to shine through.

Seeing this book come to life through pictures was a dream come true. I got chills seeing my favorite scenes, especially the epilogue. I cried the first time I read this novel, and I cried again reading this version. Seeing all of Lina’s emotions playing out on her face was so bittersweet and heartbreaking.

One word can describe this book: “krasivaya.”

Such a powerful story. I have not read the original novel however this definitely makes me want to. Unfortunately, I don't know if it worked as a graphic novel. While the art was beautiful and moving, there was a lot of text to pack into small squares. Perhaps an illustrated edition would have worked better.

not really for me. I can tell that this is an amazing book and the artwork was incredible, but reading this on my e-reader proved to be quite difficult, so that took away a lot of my enjoyment

I haven’t read the book, so reading the graphic novel is my first time experiencing this story so i’m not sure if any differences from the two BUUUT this was incredible. I loved it!

Thank you NetGalley for an e-ARC of Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys.
Between Shades of Gray as a graphic novel is brilliant. The novel is long and intimidating for some readers, and putting the book into graphic novel format will encourage more teens to learn about this part of history.