Includes bibliographical references and list of resources for victims of child abuse.

"On a spring morning, neighbors Valentina Kaplan and Oksana Savchenko wake up to an angry red sky [and learn that there has been an explosion at the nuclear power plant--Chernobyl--where their fathers are employed. Before they know it, the two girls, who've always been enemies, find themselves on a train bound for Leningrad to stay with Valentina's estranged grandmother, Rita Grigorievna. In their new lives in Leningrad, they begin to learn what it means to trust another person. Oksana must face the lies her parents told her all her life, while Valentina must keep her grandmother's secret, one that could put all their lives in danger. And both of them discover something they've wished for: a best friend. But how far would you go to save your best friend's life?" -- ,Adapted from publisher's description.

4-7.