It’s actually the perfect book for any YA or adult reader, but I’m focusing here on my Language Arts population. What population is that? In a nutshell, any student who’s reluctant to read for any reason. Keep scrolling for a quick run-down of why Between Shades of Gray is at the top of my must-read list each year.
1. Immediate Hook that Doesn’t Quit
I don’t know about your students, but many of mine struggle getting through a chapter or two of exposition. For whatever reason (I won’t get into it here) we’re more of an instant gratification kind of crew and we need action. From the first page this book delivers. Section one is called “Thieves and Prostitutes,” and below is the first paragraph:
THEY TOOK ME IN MY NIGHTGOWN.
Thinking back, the signs were there–family photos burned in the fireplace, Mother sewing her best silver and jewelry into the lining of her coat late at night, and Papa not returning from work. My younger brother, Jonas, was asking questions. I asked questions, too, but perhaps I refused to acknowledge the signs. Only later did I realize that Mother and Father intended we escape. We did not escape.
We were taken.
-Ruta Sepetys, Between Shades of Gray
Right? From there the Soviet secret police demand they pack and leave the house within twenty minutes. Bam, we are in the thick of the action on the first few pages. To make up for dropping us in the middle of the main action, Sepetys uses sporadic flashbacks to fill in any missing information as we go. It’s backstory but it’s woven seamlessly into current action so students are hooked and invested from the very beginning without losing background information.
2. Short Chapters
There’s something about chapters changing up every few pages that makes a book feel more accessible. More doable. For my students who don’t struggle with reading, this has zero impact on them. Some don’t even notice. For my kiddos who struggle to persevere through longer texts, this is a life-saver.
There’s a natural stopping point just around every corner. When we listen to the audiobook (on 1.4x speed) most chapters are 4-8 minutes long.
Sure, that means there are 85 chapters total. But that also means when it’s all said and done my students get to boast about how they read 85 chapters! A milestone for a majority of them, and something they can be proud of for years to come.
As a teacher, short chapters also offer natural points to stop and discuss. I formatted my worksheets to align with the chapters and have mostly followed a standard formatting. Students know what to expect for each chapter:
- A one-sentence summary of what happened in the chapter
- Three additional details that may or may not be important (sometimes we don’t know until we read on)
- Something additional that is specific to the chapter: Why is the author using a flashback here? Make a prediction about…, Make an inference about…. Identify three character traits for…
By the end of this book, my students will have practiced writing one-sentence chapter summaries 85 times. Just a few a day, but it adds up over time and their gains in this skill are undeniable. This works especially well with this text because the students want to talk about it. They want to share their sentences because they’re invested in the story.
No time to make guide questions for all 85 chapters? I have you covered in my TpT store 🙂
3. Low Lexile with High School Topics
Finding books that are written in a way that is accessible to most readers while also having content for older teens/adults is sometimes impossible. It’s usually one or the other. Between Shades of Gray is one of the few books that defies this unwritten rule.
Since the book is from the point of view of a fifteen year old girl, it often reads straightforward, almost conversational at times. But my students aren’t offended by reading this 420 Lexile book because it’s clear to them it is not a children’s book. The opening section titled “Thieves and Prostitutes” sets the tone for adult content ahead.
4. New Information About WWII
My students already know about the Nazis and their concentration camps. In high school they read Night, and in the middle school they read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and Anne Frank. But they don’t know that Stalin was simultaneously using similar tactics in the Soviet Union. They’re not familiar with the mass murder and deportation of people from the Baltic states to work as forced labor in work camps in Siberia. To be honest, some of my students didn’t even know Lithuania existed.
5. The Graphic Novel is Stunning
I’ve found that for teaching purposes, graphic novels can at times be hit or miss. For example, I’m currently reading the graphic novel for To Kill a Mockingbird and I don’t know that I would ever teach it on its on since so much is missing from the original novel and is a bland translation with limited opportunities for visual analysis. But the GN for Between Shades of Gray is on point capturing every significant detail and offering stunning visuals that are worthy of thorough analysis.
There’s a fine line when illustrating horrific events and the graphic novel team (Andrew Donkin, Dave Kopka, and Brann Livesay) nailed it. There’s so much emotion conveyed through the graphic novel that’s just not possible through the text alone.
I use the graphic novel in class as a companion piece of sorts. After a few chapters (at least 5, sometimes up to 15) we’ll pause from the text and do an overall analysis of the images. This serves two purposes:
- Students are rereading the text and refreshing themselves with what’s happened so far, and sometimes they are learning new aspects of the story they missed the first time or didn’t understand with just the text alone.
- Students get to practice visual analysis with content they are already fairly familiar with. I don’t need to teach background information (like I do when I introduce visual analysis with “The Fall of Icarus” painting). All of our brain power can go into focusing on colors, stylistic choices, symbolism, etc.
- Having a visual of what the characters look like is very helpful for the students. This novel includes many side characters who are hard to keep track of and are given limited descriptions outside of a general age and gender sometimes.
6. It’s Generally Uncontested
I was about to write with absolute certainty that this book has not been challenged in the US making it a safe choice for most classrooms. However, I have since found that a few districts confused this book about shades of gray with another book about shades of gray and so yes, there’s that. While you likely won’t have any students’ parents opting out once they see the book, some may confuse it with something inappropriate. But a quick conversation or peek at the book will settle those concerns. Looking for something that’s not controversial? This is it.
7. The Main Characters are Strong Women
Enough said.
8. Perfect for Classroom Discussions
While the book itself is not controversial (to most) there is still plenty of room for discussion. My students are always eager to discuss how things get to the point of mass deportation, dehumanizing of others, and how it’s almost impossible to fight back once it does get to that point.
9. It Covers Lots of Standards and Skills
The book lends itself to the classroom so well because there are many different approaches you can take to teaching it.
- Inferences: it’s from the eyes of a teenager so we’re learning and guessing what is happening right along with her)
- Characterization: lots of characters with plenty of moments to reflect on who they are based on actions, words, appearances, etc.
- Flashbacks: they are thrown in throughout the book; perfect for students to analyze the purpose and make connections to the present
- Character Motivation: it changes throughout as characters and situations evolve
- Historical Context: students need to know what else was going in this time period to understand what was happening with the Soviet Union and the Baltic states
- Theme: there are many to choose from making it more accessible to most students
10. Cross Curricular Opportunities
The main character loves artwork by Edvard Munch and mentions his work throughout. I have my students create a curated museum exhibit using Munch’s artwork to help illustrate what happened in the text. Have the art department work to help students through analysis of Munch’s artwork. See images below for how I do this with my own class. Here’s the link to the TpT product if you’d like to use it in your class, too.
Social Studies: explore the historical aspect of WWII with Soviets invading the Baltic states and our connection with the Soviet Union throughout the war. Pair up with your SS department to see if you can teach the units in tandem for a more thorough understanding of the time period.
11. There’s a Movie
I’ve left this one as last on the list because I actually don’t show the movie in class beyond a few choice clips and sections here and there. My main problem with the movie version is that I don’t like how much attention and backstory is given to Kretzsky. It creates too much sympathy in my mind. My second issue is the nudity. I don’t have a problem with it myself. But I’m working really hard this year to keep bare butts off my whiteboard and showing this movie in full would break my streak of zero streaking in class.
What are your thoughts? Have you taught Between Shades of Gray? How did it go? I’d love to hear back though I admit I’m terrible at checking my comments on here. You understand, right? It’s hard enough being a full-time teacher and parent. Add on running a blog or three and it really starts to get dicey.
