Kane School District students read “Salt to the Sea”
- Julie Dicker
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
The first group of students in the Kane County School District to read Salt to the Sea was the Enhanced English and Reading class at Kanab High School.
In preparation for a visit from the author on February 25 and 26 sponsored by the Kane County School District, Best Friends Animal Society, the Kanab City Library and other community partners, thirty students read Ruta Septys’ historical fiction novel, Salt to the Sea this fall.
It is rare to find a book, especially historical fiction that appeals to a broad swath of readers like those ninth-twelfth graders at Kanab High School. When reviewing the reading experience, this is what they shared.
Grey Forsyth noted, “Even though the characters are fictional, I really liked how she made a story from real-life events. Plus, the chapters were really short. That made it easy to read.”
He continued, “I learned a lot about WW II history and the Amber Room.”
Ninth grader, Elliot Hulet shared, “I loved the book because it had a lot of action.” He added, “I loved the book and I think more people should read it. I want to read it again.” Elliot noted that his favorite character was Florian. When reflecting on the book, Elliot said he learned about the ship, the Wilhelm Gustloff and the Amber Room.
Rhiannon Jones spoke about the Ruta Sepetys, “It amazed me how much the author knew about the history - especially the Amber Room. I didn’t even know it existed until I read the book.” She continued, “It was interesting and kept me entertained with its diverse range of perspectives, rather than just one. There were times when it was emotional, and times when it was happy. I learned about a whole different perspective on the war, and I couldn’t believe how many people ended up losing their lives.” (But, this article won’t spoil the story by telling how they lost their lives.)
“At the beginning of the book, I didn’t love it,” noted Kamryn Judd. “But, as I kept reading, I liked the way the book was formed.” The story is told from the perspectives of four characters and alternates between their perspectives.
Kamryn added, “The character that I liked the most and though was very inspiring was Emilia.”
Lugo Martinez agreed that hearing the story from different perspectives made it even more engaging.
“I really liked the author’s writing style,” explained Sean Robinson. He noted that he enjoyed learning about The Wilhelm Gustloff and the Amber Room. Sean concludes, “I think it’s a wonderful book.”
Junior, Frankie Sample, wrapped up the reviews with, “Through the characters, we learned about refugees from Poland, Prussia, and Lithuania during WW II. The chapters were short and made me want to keep reading. I wanted to know what happened next because I was locked in.”
Take a page from the reading of high school students in Kanab and read Salt to the Sea. This group of students will read Between Shades of Grey, also written by Ruta Sepetys next.
Seventh graders at Kanab Middle School started Salt to the Sea last week.
The following author events are scheduled with exact time to be announced closer to the event:
Wednesday, February 25
45-min. Q & A with Kanab students interested in writing as a career
Meet and greet at the Kanab Public Library with refreshments
Thursday, Feb. 26
Assembly 1 with 7-9th grade students on Salt to the Sea
Assembly 2 with 10- 12th grade students on I Must Betray You
Evening event on You: The Story with Best Friends Animal Society
Reading is essential. Few skills have a greater impact on success than reading. Open the conversation with your students, your friends and neighbors and join the Kane County School District as we read books by Ruta Sepetys this year.
