**Thank you to NetGalley, authors Irene Latham and Charles Waters, and Lerner Publishing Group, Carolrhoda Books for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.**

"You've got a job to do - Be a Bridge."

Be a Bridge is a beautifully written picture book that shares with teachers different ways in which young people can "bridge" connections and friendships to make school a friendly, welcoming, and safe environment for all. Latham and Waters use simple language and a rhyming style to tell the story in an easy-to-understand and easy-to-connect-with way. I adore this story and commend the message it is spreading to readers. 

Nabila Adani completes the story with their vibrant, expression-filled illustrations of children at school. This is a book that I believe can really thrive in elementary school SEL programs across the country, and I cannot wait to add it to my "good books for storytimes" list. 

"Sure, we are safe. Safe in the arms of hell." (179)

Between Shades of Gray tells the horrific and grueling story of hidden Lithuanian history during World War II (2). Set in 1941 Lithuania, readers follow the Vilkas family who is startled by an aggressive knocking on their door one evening, followed by an invasion of Soviet guards telling them that they have just twenty (20) minutes to pack their belongings and abandon their home. Told from the perspective of fifteen (15)-year-old Lina, readers follow her, her mother Elena, and her brother Jonas as they are shipped like cattle across countries to serve in labor camps across Siberia.

Ruta Sepetys crafts an emotional, rawfully honest, and historically accurate story that gives readers just a glimpse into the hidden history of the Lithuanian genocide that happened in World War II (2) at the hands of Joseph Stalin. This is the third time I have read this story (once from the graphic novel edition which I highly recommend), however, before reading Between Shades of Gray, I was ignorantly unaware of the atrocities that happened across Easter Europe in the Baltic States. 

There are a few lines from the beginning of the book that are so full of emotion and honesty about what was happening in these countries - the injustice and confusion, the inconceivability and anger:

"A newborn. The child had been alive only minutes but was already considered a criminal by the Soviets." (21)

"Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch." (27)

Being told from the perspective of a fifteen (15)-year-old really helps this story become relatable to the intended young audience (though just as equally impactful to an older audience, as well). Often times history is told from the perspective of adults, giving only one type of narrative and making it a bit more difficult for young readers to fully comprehend what people have lived through. By using a teenager as the main character, Sepetys is able to share this story and event through the eyes of those who make up about 1.2 billion people in our world population. 

I enjoy reading the author's notes and acknowledgments at the end of the book because, to me, it really shows the purpose and power of this book. I commend Sepetys for the research and dedication she puts in each of her hidden history stories and the fact that she takes the time to recognize that the stories are not hers but she is here to share them for those who have not been able to do so themselves. Sepetys takes time to talk with those who have the stories to tell and learns as much as she can about the event while writing. That is what historical fiction is all about.

I discovered this book while creating my final project for a collection development class and cannot be more grateful that I did. Balcárcel weaves in the challenges of growing up, friendship, family, fitting in, and finding true self all while grappling with grief, uncertainty, and discovery. This is a lot to put into a middle-grade book, and I am enjoying all pieces of it.