Don't Call It Paradise deals with the idealized views adolescents often have of their friends and their friends' families and with the power struggles that often complicate parent and sibling relationships. Maddie idolizes the McBeans, and she longs to be a part of this family she considers so worldly and wise, so fun and exotic. The McBeans make her own family seem dull, and at thirteen, Maddie longs for adventure. Her family eats meat loaf, the McBeans eat curry.

Her family reads the local paper, the McBeans read the New York Times. When Maddie visits the McBeans in their new home, she gets a taste of the excitement they have to offer. They are kind to Beanie and they are fun. But by the end of her vacation, she discovers that things are not always as they seem, and that people are often blind...