It's 1982, and Rose is starting off her freshman year at an arts school in New York City. It was a rough ending to the summer as Rose's best friend, queen bee Daisy, decided they couldn't be friends anymore. Now, Rose, who has always been shy, is finding it difficult to get settled in and make new friends even in an environment when all of the other students are into the arts.

Rose has always loved art. She has taken lessons since she was a little girl. Unfortunately, she has always doubted her talent, which has meant that she has never had much of an opportunity to live up to her potential. Her confidence probably wasn't helped when she quit dancing after Daisy had told her that it was stupid, and that they should go together to the science high school.

In spite of that, something inside Rose told her that she should still go to dance tryouts to just see if she could get in to the arts high school. Despite a horrid dance session, one of the teachers decided to give her a second chance at showing her stuff. As a result, Rose found herself with the choice of two different schools, and she opted to follow her dreams. Doing so ended her friendship with Daisy, because it just didn't mesh with Daisy's well-laid-out plans.

Living in the building across the street from Rose and her family Yrena, a girl whose father is somehow tied to the Soviet government. The kids in Riverdale, the neighborhood in New York City in which they live, all debate on whether he is a diplomat or a spy, particularly in light of the mysterious men in dark suits (KGB or CIA?) who always seem to be lurking around. Yrena and Rose had never met, but they always seemed to be a little interested in each other, which is probably due on some level to their shared interest in ballet.

They do get a chance to meet one Friday evening when Yrena sneaks into Rose's home in the hopes of talking Rose into showing her what it is like to be an exciting American teenager. And thus starts an adventure that will give Yrena a chance to see a real party, some of the sights of the city, and even an anti-nuclear missile rally in Central Park. At the same time, Rose might get an opportunity to see that it is OK to make friends with some of the kids around her and that maybe her life has a lot more potential for happiness than she ever believed.

I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn into this book. The 1980's definitely seems to be attracting a lot of interest among YA authors, and I have been questioning whether the tweens and teens really care about the times, but this book does a nice job of presenting the emotions of the Cold War period while also tying in with so many of the common problems that even today's adolescents are struggling with. The result is a strong look at self-doubt and how it often dovetails with how those around us see us.

Rose is a likable person, once you get past the fact that she is constantly talking down to herself about her "mediocre" talent and lack of friends. She has a quiet inner strength that Yrena seems to have magically brought out of her. As they continue on their journey and explore New York City, Rose's world, and the people who inhabit it, Yrena gets a chance to see things for the first time, and Rose gets a clearer picture of what she has always been looking at.

I don't think that a lot of tweens and teens will run to pick this one up, but I do think that if they get sold on it, they will find a fun and pleasurable read that lives up to Castellucci's popularity. They will really end up liking this one. I know that I did ... read in one sitting because I couldn't put it down.