Well, this is outside of my usual time periods of choice, but I enjoyed it. The US/USSR relations during the Cold War are something I never experienced, but were close enough to my time that I have heard a lot about them. I really enjoyed the child's view of the period, how things must have looked to an elementary school girl. And its' mix as a coming of age story about a lonely girl finding her way, growing up into herself, and letting go of the past was nicely done alongside the larger world view issues. I thought the little bit of spy intrigue was well handled, it could have become overdone and cliche very easily. This was really a lovely exploration of a girl growing up and the turbulent times during which she did it.