Any fond memories Meggie had about life in California were erased the day a crazy man came into her elementary classroom. He was ranting and raving about the aliens coming to take over, and he zeroed in on Meggie with an accusing glare. The next thing she remembered was Gramps coming to take her home.
In the days that followed, Meggie and her family left California and moved to North Carolina. It didn't take long to adjust to life in the small town. Meggie and her brother David enjoyed their new friends. Their mother found a job teaching, and Gramps spent time pursuing his artistic endeavors. All was well until the day the same crazy man appeared muttering once again about aliens. This time people took him seriously and Meggie's family was forced to flee an angry mob.
They escape in what is described as a glasslike container called the Carriage. You see they are aliens from a planet known as Chroma. They are simply searching for a place to live to escape the environmental destruction of their planet.
After leaving North Carolina, the family lands at night in a public park in a place called Fashion City. It is assumed that they are refugees from the wild Western Province. They are given a place to live, clothes and food, and jobs for mother and Gramps. What starts as a warm welcome soon turns weird. It quickly becomes clear that the citizens of Fashion City are being brainwashed and even drugged to be passive and compliant.
They discover that Fashion City is part of a parallel world. It resembles the United States, but people don't enjoy the same freedoms and choices. When Meggie's mother learns that David will be required to serve in the army and that Gramps will be sent on "vacation" when he turns 65, she sets about finding a better place for them to live. But leaving Fashion City might not be as easy as it first seems.
YOU'LL LIKE IT HERE (EVERYBODY DOES) will captivate middle grade readers. Author Ruth White draws readers into the lives of the alien family so completely that they will soon forget the fact that they are aliens.
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