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Summary

There is more to pre-teen Maggie Blue that she herself knows - or her teenaged brother, mother or grandfather is letting on. A childhood memory of a crazed man almost attacking her at school triggers recurrent nightmares. When she succumbs to her panic attacks she screams wildly - in an alien language. When rumours spread that the Blues are aliens, they flee from the fear and fury of their once-loving friends and neighbours. This fast-paced dystopian novel takes the Blues from the ordinary comfort of their life in a small North Carolina town to another world where they are challenged to blend in once again. This new world –with its friendly, welcoming folks – provides everyone with food, clothing, employment, shelter and free vacations post-retirement. But it is also a world that does not tolerate “gross uniqueness”, individual enterprise or talent. Can the Blues keep their uniqueness from showing? Can they adjust to this environment that promises a lot but delivers little? Or must they search for a “better” world. This thought-provoking simply-written story can be read easily by a pre-teen; but the deeper issues and philosophy that underlie it can be better discerned or debated by teens. Reviewed by KB