I really could not put this novel down, and when I was forced to, I could not wait until I could continue reading again. I grew attached to Joana, Emelia, Florian, Klaus, and the shoe poet. I even felt a bit of disdain towards Alfred. Sepetys did an excellent job in drawing readers into a story that so accurately depicts the types of atrocities that happened not only during the winter of 1945, but during that entire period of struggle in and around Germany, Prussia, Poland, Lithuania, and Russia. Her writing also forced me, the reader, to feel attached to these characters in a way that drew my emotions into the story, and I felt like an active observer, as if the scenes were happening with me in them.

This is the type of novel that is easy for me to read. The content is dark and violent at times, but that is what's to be expected when the setting is during wartime. I would not recommend this for the reader looking for some light beach reading. This is not the novel to take on a happy vacation, but perhaps one that would be perfect to snuggle into the couch while reading, or one to gain some insight on the time period.

I would suggest that this title be reserved for more mature readers, perhaps upper middle school and beyond. The content is historically accurate and should not be censored, however, a younger reader might be disturbed by some of the events and experiences of the characters.

Possible classroom extensions:

• Conduct research on the Wilhelm Gustloff and on another well known maritime tragedy such as the Titantic. Have students compare the facts of each event, and lead students through a discussion as to why they think the tale of the Wilhelm Gustloff isn't as well known as others.
• Have students research the Amber Room, and perhaps even watch the documentary, The Rape of Europa: The Fate of Europe’s Treasures in the Third Reich and the Second World War. Ask students to respond to why they think art has such a significant hold on mankind, and if they think institutions such as the Louvre are doing enough to preserve and protect art, or is it excessive?
• Sepetys attaches a character each to shame, guilt, fear, and fate. She then refers to those emotions as being a "hunter". Have students do a character analysis of each character and connect the character to the emotion Sepetys assigned them. Lastly illustrate how shame, guilt, fear, and fate could possibly be identified as a "hunter" in reference to the character.

This is a link to a book trailer for Salt to the Sea.

This is a link to website dedicated to Ruth Sepetys and her novel, Salt to the Sea.

This link will navigate you to Ruth Sepetys' website with a list and link to each of her other books, Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and The Fountains of Silence, as well as an author bio.