Muggles is an ordinary Minnipin living in Slipper-on-the-Water as generations of Minnipins have ever since their great leader Gammage led them to this valley. She is accustomed to the routine Minnipin life--everyone wears the same clothes, all houses look the same, and society rules are quite rigid. But one morning, Muggles awakes to fires on the distant mountains and knows that her life is about to change dramatically. The only people who believe Muggles' story are Gummy the poet, Walter the Earl, Curley Green and Mingy--who are all outcasts themselves. They are not like other Minnipins--they speak their mind, they wear different colors, and they question rules. When they try to convince the rest of the town that danger is lurking, they are cast out from the city. In a peaceful knoll up the river, the unlikely friends rejoice in their newfound freedom and begin a new life. But when the enemy's presence cannot be ignored, this group of outcasts must fight to protect the very people who cast them out. With courage and determination, the five friends save their town and restore the beauty of individualism to their beloved home. Kendall's Newbery Honor fantasy presents readers with the inevitable choice between good and evil, but with an extra twist--before her protagonists can become heroes, they must embrace their individuality in a society that praises conformity. The underlying lessons on peer pressure will linger in readers' minds long after the last page of the novel is turned.