Rose Sees Red

I like Castellucci's style. Her writing is succinct, no frills yet full of character and depth. Super quick read but she still manages to paint a realistic Cold War New York in such short work. She also makes artsy, emo type teens real and not obnoxious. I appreciate that she never writes in tropes and is incredibly original. ( )

Castellucci, Cecil. (2010). Rose Sees Red. New York: Scholastic. 208 pp. ISBN 978-0-545-06079-0 (Hard Cover); $17.99.

Rose’s love of dancing alienates her from her friends. She resigns herself to a solitary existence. Rose finally meets Yrena, her Russian neighbor who always has CIA/Russian escorts—until the girls give them the slip one night. This is another one of those excellent historical fiction pieces that feel as fresh as today. Castellucci combines US/Russian cold war politics with dance and a strong sense of place to create a beautiful portrait of a young girl learning to find peace in her body, in her dreams, and with the world around her. Most readers will delight in the artsy defiant outsider voice of Rose—and this element of the story is excellent. Readers also have a vivid portrait of life in the early eighties.

Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com

Rose has made her decision. When she chooses to attend the High School of Performing Arts rather than the Bronx Science school, her friend Daisy disowned her. Rose couldn't even tell Daisy that she was going to try out for the dance program, because Daisy decided a few years back that they shouldn't do ballet anymore. It made Rose realize that Daisy wasn't a real friend in the end.

Every morning, Rose and her brother, Todd, watch as the Russian girl next door, Yrena, leaves to attend her school behind the gates. Yrena's family has something to do with the United Nations, but they don't associate with any of the other neighbors.

Rose is shy at her school, and she is taken by surprise when Caitlin and Callisto (two of the three triplets...Caleb, their brother, is the third) invite Rose to come partying on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of the Arts that night. Rose says she can't, but when Yrena suddenly appears through her window, Rose makes a spontaneous decision to take Yrena to the Museum after all.

That begins a wild night that has Rose and Yrena dodging secret agents, finding themselves on the news, and Rose sparking with the brooding Caleb.

ROSE SEES RED takes place in the 1980s when the US and the then-USSR were at odds with each other. Yrena's family is segregated from the Americans, and it's only through each other's windows that the two ever saw a glimpse of the other's life - until Yrena makes the leap. Rose and her friends realize that they only have the one night to expose Yrena to the American life she's only dreamed about.

Even though ROSE SEES RED takes places in the 1980s, the story could really take place at any time in any place. Rose and Yrena are from two different cultures and they struggle to come to realize that the truths they have been exposed to may be wrong after all.

I enjoyed the whirlwind adventure that Rose, Yrena, Caitlin, Callisto, and Caleb find themselves immersed in. The ending is sad, but in the time period the story is set, it is the right one. This is the first story by Cecil Castellucci I have read, but now I know it won't be the last one. ( )

Rose has all but given up hope, for all but dancing. Yrena, her Soviet neighbor, is through with ballet. One night, Yrena crashes through Rose's bedroom window, and the two go with some friends on a quest through New York City. In the process, they learn a lot about each other and their cultures. This quick read feels like a cross between the movie Center Stage and Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist, and it's a great combination! ( )

Rose's best friend abandoned her when Rose decided to go to the high school of performing arts to study ballet. Lonely, she never goes out and has not made new friends. Then the daughter of a Russian diplomat who lives next door climbs through Rose's window, and they take off for a forbidden night on the town. ( )