You'll Like It Here (Everybody Does)

Gr 5—8—Sixth-grader Meggie Blue, her mom, grandfather, and older brother must flee yet again when townspeople discover that they are really aliens from the planet Chroma. They leave North Carolina in their Carriage, a vehicle that transports them long distances in a short time. They arrive in Fashion City, a universe parallel to Earth but one in which everyone lives in lockstep under the authority of "the Fathers." Curfews, monotonous factory work, dull computerized lessons, and "rehabilitation" are the order of the day. Everyone copes by taking mind-numbing Lotus pills and repeating their mantra, the book's title. Through their neighbors, the Blues learn that the Fathers are really corporate fat cats who suppress defiant and unique behavior in order to maintain their own power, and the two families, aided by Meggie's quick thinking, manage to escape to a Utopian-like society where their differences are no longer an issue. White's short, often humorous, well-paced chapters—some from Meggie's or David's points of view—will entice readers, especially those steeped in sci-fi lore. The dialogue is believable, the contemporary cultural references (e.g., Justin Bieber, Disney channel) ring true, and the Blues are generally well-developed characters. However, the novel's laudatory themes of personal freedom and individualism evolve into heavy-handed messages. The ending is predictable, and the characters' going off to a world where they can now "celebrate our differences instead of discouraging them" is a bit too precious. Readers used to the subtleties of Lois Lowry's The Giver (Houghton, 1993) or fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix's darker, antitotalitarian Among the Hidden (S & S, 1998) probably won't "like it here."—Nancy Menaldi-Scanlan, The Naples Players, FL