Meggie Blue still has nightmares stemming from the day a crazy man burst into her third grade classroom wielding a knife and screaming about aliens. Even the move from California to a quiet little town in North Carolina hasn’t pushed those memories from her mind. Now, three years later, there’s talk of aliens again. And the finger points to Meggie’s family after an elderly local man suffers a stroke shortly after visiting with Meggie and her brother, David.
When the townspeople approach the Blue family’s home in the middle of the night, the family is one step – and light years – ahead of them. They pile into “The Carriage” and escape to another world. In her haste, Mrs. Blue wasn’t able to give specific coordinates for their arrival location, and they end up in the park of a place called Fashion City. The first person they meet is a policeman, who directs them to the housing authority. They are given an apartment, stamps to buy whatever they need, and are told where to go the next day to see about work. It’s when evening comes and the building manager comes for a head count, then locks them in their apartment that they realize Fashion City is not a place they want to stay.
The title of the book echoes the words they hear over and over whenever they meet someone new. Meggie Blue and her family are definitely not included in the “everybody.” But is there any way out? Ruth White has created a civilization that would put a fright into anyone, and she plunks down in the middle of it two strong, young characters who aren’t going to sit around and let other people determine the course of their lives. You’ll like this book. (Everybody does)
AR Level 4.5
AR Points 8
No comments:
Post a Comment