From the Bookshelf of Nothing But Reading Challenges…

Salt to the Sea

Ruta Sepetys

Start date: April 22, 2016

Finish date: April 30, 2016

Discussion: Books of the Month

Why we're reading this: April YA BOM. Click here to get to the discussion…more
[close] April YA BOM. Click here to get to the discussion

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 163 topics — 23,363 comments total

Books of the Month

* The Names by Florence Knapp - Sep 25 Adult / Non-Fiction BOM (starts 16 Sep)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 11 posts · 68 views

last updated Sep 05, 2025 04:38PM

* The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese - Sep 25 Theme BOM - South and South East Asia (Starts 5 September)
By Moderators of… , Challenger-in-Chief · 31 posts · 66 views

last updated 3 hours, 37 min ago

showing 10 of 124 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Feb 10, 2016 Paula Hess rated it it was amazing

A heartbreaking, truly awesome fictional telling of the sinking of the Wilhelm Gastluff in January 1945. Ruta Sepetys once again takes you back in time with her YA telling of a group of 4 young refugees trying to make it to safety. Each has suffered tremendous suffering and loss and only want a chance at survival. I read this in one evening because once I started it I couldn't put it down.
Ms Sepetys is an exceptional writer of YA historical fiction. If you haven't read any of her books you are ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 22, 2015 Beth rated it really liked it

Shelves: cybils, young-adult, cybils-2016, historical

It's grim because you know that the teens are all lurching towards disaster. The four viewpoints give four very different lenses on the war. It's interesting because the Germans aren't automatically the bad guys. ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Feb 02, 2016 Gremlin rated it really liked it

Shelves: ya, strong-female-characters

Ruta Sepetys pulls you in with straightforward, succinct prose. This is both a blessing and a bit of a curse. There is no pretense, you're in the thick of the tale by page 3, and it makes history very approachable - all good things. The downside, for me, is that it makes the characters feel a little two-dimensional (I noticed this when reading Between Shades of Gray as well). You want to feel for the people involved, but you almost feel like you're watching things unfold with a film of gauze ove ...more

Like · see review

Dec 29, 2015 Karen D rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 5-stars, historical-fiction, wwii

Four teenagers from different backgrounds, keeping different secrets, all end up on a ship while fleeing Russians in East Prussia during World War II. Told through alternating perspectives, this is an exciting, fast-paced, historical fiction book about a largely unknown event during the war. And yet, it's not really about that. The characters are so interesting on their own, as their pasts and personalities are slowly revealed. It's impossible to put down, and even if you're over-saturated on WW ...more

Like · see review

Mar 07, 2017 Kelli rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: historical, young-adult

Quick read. Heartbreaking story of the end of World War II. German civilians and other refugees flee for safety and try to gain passage to ships like the Wilhelm Gustloff, General Von Steuben and Goya... All three never reaching their final destinations.

Like · see review