Grace Meredith
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hello Ruta! You are the one who definitely got me into historical fiction, and thank you so much! My question for you would be: do you believe that younger students (elementary-middle grades) should be shielded from the hardships and terrors of our history? Because I definitely wouldn't want to have my siblings (and children, someday) think that everything was just hunky-dory back then.
Ruta Sepetys
Hello Grace,
Thank you for your important and thought-provoking question.
I find that young readers are deep thinkers and deep "feelers." They read books with a very pure sense of emotional truth. Young people also have a strong sense of justice. I hope that by sharing difficult parts of history with young people they will study them, learn from the mistakes of the past, strive to become better, and create hope for a more just future. So like you, I would prefer that young readers be exposed to difficult historical events, but of course in an appropriate way.
Thanks again!
Thank you for your important and thought-provoking question.
I find that young readers are deep thinkers and deep "feelers." They read books with a very pure sense of emotional truth. Young people also have a strong sense of justice. I hope that by sharing difficult parts of history with young people they will study them, learn from the mistakes of the past, strive to become better, and create hope for a more just future. So like you, I would prefer that young readers be exposed to difficult historical events, but of course in an appropriate way.
Thanks again!
More Answered Questions
Maya
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
Hi Ruta, I am a 7th grader and I had a question for you. It has always been an interest of mine to have a little back story to authors loves so what did you want to be before becoming a writer and what age did you write a book that was more than at least 100 pages? My teacher and all my favorite authors inspire me and I have written a story that at least 130 pages and those are my reasons behind my questions.
Adrienne
asked
Ruta Sepetys:
In Salt to the Sea, you have four different narrators; what was the writing process like to write four distinct voices? How did you stay true to the characters' voices and not mix up whose voice was whose? Also, you have three really lovable characters and one creepy one--was it harder to write Alfred than the other three? Thanks for writing such powerful, meaningful books.
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