Ruta Sepetys Books in Order (Including Her 2026 Release)

Book Summary

Puzzle-loving siblings Jakob (19) and Lizzie (14) live in 1940 England, and Hitler’s invasion is spreading across the region. They find themselves living inside a puzzling riddle as baffling messages and codes arrive on their doorstep.

As Lizzie tries to solve the mystery of her mother’s disappearance, Jakob joins the ranks of Bletchley Park, Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory, one of the greatest secrets of World War II. Can he help them crack the Nazi Enigma cipher? And are the riddles of the Enigma related to their mother’s disappearance?

Book Summary

In 1989, Communist regimes were falling throughout Eastern Europe, but Romania was still under the control of a tyrant named Nicolae Ceaușescu. Seventeen-year-old Cristian wants to be a writer, but writing freely is not possible in his world.

When Cristian is forced to work as an informer for the secret police, he must decide whether he’s willing to betray those he loves or if he can use the terrible situation to help bring down Ceaușescu.

Book Summary

This young adult historical fiction focuses on life in post-war Spain under Franco’s dictatorship. In 1957, the regime needed money and opened the country to Americans hoping for investment.

That year, eighteen-year-old Daniel travels with his oil tycoon father from Houston to Madrid. Daniel brings his camera, eager to explore the city beyond the image that Franco is projecting to the world. Along with Ana, the young hotel maid tasked with assisting his family, Daniel discovers and documents the atrocities happening in the fascist regime.

Book Summary

When you think of maritime disasters, the Titanic is probably the first that comes to mind. But the deadliest disaster at sea occurred in 1945 when a Soviet submarine sank the Wilhelm Gustloff, a German cruise liner, in the Baltic Sea.

As WWII drew to a close and the Red Army advanced on Germany, a massive evacuation effort began to ferry civilians, soldiers, and equipment to safety. The Wilhelm Gustloff, which had a capacity of 1,800, was packed with more than 10,500 passengers. More than 9,000 people lost their lives when the ship sank, including 5,000 infants and children.

This historical fiction YA novel tells the stories of four passengers: 21-year-old Joana, who is fleeing her native country of Lithuania; Florian, an artist from East Prussia; 15-year-old Emilia from Poland, who is pregnant; and Alfred, a pompous 17-year-old German soldier.

When tragedy strikes, each of them, regardless of country, culture, or status, must fight for their survival.

Book Summary

Despite her rough start to life as the daughter of a brothel prostitute, 17-year-old Josie has big dreams of escaping New Orleans to attend an elite university. However, her careful plans are turned upside down after a mysterious death in the French Quarter. She becomes tangled in the investigation, which will test her conscience, allegiance to her mother, and the madam of Conti Street.

Book Summary

Lina is a typical 15-year-old Lithuanian girl who loves painting, drawing, and boys. But one night in 1941, Soviet officers burst into her home, tearing her family away from their comfortable life. She, her mother, and her brother are forced onto a train with no idea where they are headed.

Under Stalin’s orders, they are sent to a work camp under the cruelest and coldest conditions. Just getting to the camp requires crossing the Arctic Circle, but somehow, Lina finds comfort in her drawings. She depicts the scenes she witnesses daily in hopes that they’ll provide proof of all they are forced to endure.