Bibliography
Sepetys, R. (2017). Salt to the sea. Philomel Books. ISBN 978-0142423622
Plot Summary
In the winter of 1945 four refugees come together in an unexpected way and each has a story to tell. Each of the four narrators of the story is from a different homeland with a haunting story to tell. They flee toward the coast with thousands of others to avoid the Soviets in hopes of gaining passage on the Wilhelm Gustloff. Passage on the ship promises freedom. Passage on the ship promises safety. Not all promises can be kept.
Critical Analysis
I listened to Salt to the Sea as an audiobook and I am glad that I did.
Salt to the Sea is about four quite different people; three of whom are trying to save themselves from the Soviet army. Joana is a Lithuanian nurse who has been thrust from her country, Emilia is an orphaned Polish girl who has been rescued by Florian, a wounded Prussian artist. These three all meet and end up traveling together to the coast where they end up on the Wilhelm Gustloff. Alfred, a German soldier and the fourth character that we hear from, is preparing the ship for departure. I can imagine Alfred as one of Hitler’s youth being trained at a young age to believe in all of Hitler’s propaganda.
The story takes place in a very few days, but Sepetys gives us deep insight into each of the characters. Hearing their stories via audiobook brought them to life. Sepetys does not drag the story by retelling parts from each character’s point of view but builds on each of their stories so that it moves along quickly.
The four all board the ship, Wilhelm Gustloff, and think that they are headed to safety. A Russian torpedo strikes the ship, and many are killed or die in the freezing water. So as not to spoil the ending for you-yes, some of our characters die and some survive. You will want to read Sepetys’ book to know what happens.
Sepetys has taken parts of history and given us a riveting story about the hardships of war and how traumatic this can be for everyone.
Sepetys includes many themes in Salt to the Sea including race and ethnicity, family, secrecy, and trauma.
Review Excerpts
“The inevitability of the ending (including the loss of several characters) doesn’t change its poignancy, and the short chapters and slowly revealed back stories for each character guarantee the pages keep turning. Heartbreaking, historical, and a little bit hopeful.” —Kirkus Reviews
“This book includes all the reasons why teens read: for knowledge, for romance, for amazing and irritating characters. This novel will break readers’ hearts and then put them back together a little more whole.” —VOYA
“Sepetys’s…scene-setting is impeccable; the penetrating cold of the journey is palpable, and she excels at conveying the scope of the losses while giving them a human face….[T]his elegiac tale succeeds with impressive research, affecting characters, and keen, often unsettling insights into humans’ counterposed tendencies toward evil and nobility. Readers will be left to discuss which impulse triumphs here.” —The Horn Book
* “This haunting gem of a novel begs to be remembered, and in turn, it tries to remember the thousands of real people its fictional characters represent. What it asks of us is that their memories, and their stories, not be abandoned to the sea.” —Booklist, starred review
Connections
Watch an amazing video of Ruta Sepetys talking about her book.
Many more books by Ruta Sepetys at her website.
YouTube channel with lots of Ruta Sepetys videos.
Salt to the Sea is written in 1st person point of view from 4 different characters. How would it sound if it were written by only one of the characters in the story?
Bibliography
Zusak, M. (2007). The book thief. Knopf Books for Young Readers. ISBN 978-0375842207
Plot Summary
Death tells us about his part in World War II in a small part of Germany. He is busier than he ever thought he might be in 1939.
Liesl Meminger is the other narrator of the story. She is very young when she goes to live with Hans and Rosa, who become her foster parents. Liesl loves books and ends up stealing them when she can which is not often in Nazi Germany. Hans teaches her how to read. Liesl also shares her stories with Max, a Jew who comes to live/hide in their basement for a while. She also becomes friends with a young German boy, Rudy, and much of the story is about their friendship.
Devastation comes to Liesl when bombs are dropped on Molching and many die.
Critical Analysis
Zusak creates a beautiful story of what it must have been like for ordinary people during the height of the war. Liesl must go live with a foster family for protection. She is haunted by witnessing the death of her younger brother on the way to her new home. She is taken in by a truly kind and gentle man named Hans and his foul-mouthed wife, Rosa. Rosa puts on a brave front, but deep down she is scared, possibly more scared than those around her. Liesl narrates the story of her life in her new home and through her eyes we meet Rudy. Rudy becomes her best friend and confidante.
Occasionally, we hear from Death and get a glimpse into his perceptions of war and his work. He reveals to us that he is “haunted by humans” and that he, too “has a heart.” Death is personified with human feelings which is something that few of us believe to be true of death.
Liesl’s love of books and words is so strong that she is willing to risk her life to steal them.
Review Excerpts
“Elegant, philosophical and moving…Beautiful and important.”
– Kirkus Reviews, Starred
“This hefty volume is an achievement…a challenging book in both length
and subject…”
– Publisher’s Weekly, Starred
“One of the most highly anticipated young-adult books in years.”
– The Wall Street Journal
“Exquisitely written and memorably populated, Zusak’s poignant tribute to words, survival, and their curiously inevitable entwinement is a tour de force to be not just read but inhabited.”
– The Horn Book Magazine, Starred
“An extraordinary narrative.”
– School Library Journal, Starred
Connections
List of books by Markus Zusak can be found here.
The Book Thief is filled with figurative language. Students could keep a journal of these as they read.
Discuss point of view and personification.
Read about the different levels of loyalty or lack thereof to Hitler. Students may want to look at Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler’s Shadow. ISBN 978-1338309843
Bibliography
Hesse, M. (2018). The war outside. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0316316712
Plot Summary
In 1944 Europe and the Pacific are engulfed in war. The effects of the war come much closer when Margot and Haruko are taken from their homes in Iowa and Colorado to live in an internment camp in Texas. Margot’s parents are German and Haruko’s parents are Japanese.
Haruko and Margot meet at the high school that is contained in the “family internment camp” in Crystal City. The girls do not have anything in common-or so they think. They realize that they need each other’s friendship to survive day to day life in the camp.
Critical Analysis
In The War Outside we learn about the friendship of two teenage girls who were taken from their homes in America during World War II because of their ethnicity. Margot is from a German family and Haruko is of Japanese descent; however, they are both American. Even though the girls are from different backgrounds they are experiencing some of the same things. Margot is concerned when her father is slowly pledging his allegiance to the Nazi party while Haruko is confused about what her father did that forced her family to end up in such a place. The girls learn to share secrets with each other that could put them into jeopardy. This is a story of perseverance, friendship, and betrayal.
Review Excerpts
“Monica Hesse takes a setting we think we understand and shifts it in an important way…a tightly plotted exploration of the consequences of fear.”―The New York Times Book Review
* “Superb… A satisfying and bittersweet novel, perfect for those who enjoyed Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.”―SLJ, starred review
* “An extraordinary novel of injustice and xenophobia based on real history.”―Booklist, starred review
* “A moving book that successfully describes an unjust aspect of U.S. History”―Publishers Weekly, starred review
Connections
Learn more about Monica Hesse.
Books that address Japanese internment in America during WWII.
Create a map of Japanese/German internment camps during WWII.
Find out more about these internment camps at the History Channel.
Presentation by Dr. Lila Rakoczy on Preserving WWII Internment History in Texas.
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