Anne V. Zarrow Honoree Ruta Sepetys on Writing for Young Readers
Ruta Sepetys writes for the student who opens an assigned book and thinks, “Do I really want to read this?”
Then she makes sure they can’t put it down.
We talked with Sepetys from her home in Nashville ahead of her upcoming visit to Tulsa, where she will receive the Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature, given by the Tulsa City-County Library and the Tulsa Library Trust.
Meeting the reader where they are
Sepetys writes about underrepresented history, always mindful of her responsibility in telling it.
“I write the books, but history writes the stories,” she said. “They don’t really belong to me.”
Instead, she sees herself as a steward—passing overlooked events to young readers who will carry them forward.
“I really do believe that we can meet the reader where they are, no matter where they are,” Sepetys said. “And I try to write in such a way that I won’t defeat the reader. Short chapters. Using prose that has an economy of phrasing, so maybe, you know, sentences that aren’t too flowery or long, but yet compelling.”
She imagines the reluctant reader assigned a book about the Romanian Revolution.
“Really? The Romanian Revolution? Do I want to do this?” she said.
Then comes a first line like “Fear arrived at 5 o’clock” from her bestselling book I Must Betray You.
“And they think, ‘OK, I can read one more page,’” she said.
That ability to pull reluctant readers into complex history is one reason her books resonate with both teens and the educators who teach them.
Ruta Sepetys with student projects
Storytelling for young adults
From the beginning, she has been clear about who she writes for.
“My intention from day one is to be an author for young adults,” she said. “I really believe that books we read when we are young have the ability to make an everlasting imprint on us.”
Before writing full time, Sepetys spent 22 years in the music industry.
“I worked with songwriters and bands and musicians, and boy that gave me a front-row seat to creativity,” she said. “A song is a three-minute story.”
That experience shaped her storytelling rhythm and her understanding of how plot connects to what she calls “fundamental truths of the human experience.”
When choosing book topics, she looks for events that affected millions yet remain largely unknown, and especially stories in which young people were at the forefront and catalysts for change.
She approaches those subjects carefully, aware of the weight they carry.
“I really try to challenge myself as a writer. How can I do this in a way that might be moving, but not traumatic?” she said. “There is a responsibility.”
A life of curiosity and learning
Sepetys’ own curiosity was shaped by her parents, both survivors of hardship. Her father fled Lithuania as a child and spent nine years in refugee camps. Her mother left school at 14 to help support her family.
“My parents were constantly emphasizing the importance of education,” she said. “They presented it as a way that learning is magical.”
That lifelong love of learning continues to drive her work. She is currently researching a young adult novel about Hansen’s disease and the global stigma that led to the exile of patients to remote islands.
Though she has an adult novel, A Fortune of Sand, releasing May 26, her heart remains with young readers.
“They’re the future, they’re the changemakers,” she said. “Books we read when we’re young have the potential to stay with us for the rest of our lives.”
Meet Ruta Sepetys
Ruta Sepetys will accept the 2026 Anne V. Zarrow Award for Young Readers’ Literature, given to a nationally acclaimed author who has made a significant contribution to literature for young adults.
- When: May 1, 6 p.m.
- Where: Hardesty Regional Library, 8316 E. 93rd St.
- Cost: Free and open to the public
