Ruta Sepetys is an internationally acclaimed author of historical fiction. She is best known for her award-winning novels Between Shades of Gray, Out of the Easy, and Salt to the Sea. Sepetys was born in Michigan and raised in Tennessee, and her Lithuanian heritage has been a major influence in her writing. She has been honored with numerous awards, including the Carnegie Medal, the Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis, and the Corine Literature Prize. Sepetys is also a passionate advocate for literacy and has spoken at hundreds of schools and libraries around the world. Her books have been translated into over 40 languages and have sold millions of copies worldwide.