Among the Hidden (Shadow Children, Book 1)
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that some kids may be disturbed by the death of a major character. Otherwise there's not much to be concerned about here.
But, as with most dystopian novels, there is much to discuss -- what to do about overpopulation, how a free government can subtly shade over into totalitarianism for the best of reasons, how to tell what's true when given conflicting propaganda containing conflicting interpretation of data, and how does one sort out the sometimes conflicting rights of the individual and society.
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Matt Berman
What makes this dystopian novel stand out among others in the genre (at least for children) is that Haddix does not shy away from the bleakness or hopelessness of Luke's situation, nor from the logical consequences of the situation she has set up. The first third of the book chronicles Luke's living situation, as his loving by terrified family constrict his world more and more until he lives almost entirely alone in a windowless attic room, and readers can feel the arid claustrophobia of his life. But she does it in a way that is always fascinating and suspenseful.
Along the way the author raises many issues, and none of them are simple, making this a good choice for reading groups and book discussion groups. It's never clear, for instance, how real the overpopulation crisis really is, and both sides are putting out exaggerated propaganda that makes it hard to find the truth. There are no easy answers or pat endings here. leading young readers both to think things through for themselves, and to the next book in the series.
From the Book:
He had never disobeyed the order to hide. Even as a toddler, barely able to walk in the backyard's tall grass, he had somehow understood the fear in his mother's voice. But on this day, the day they began taking the woods away, he hesitated. He took one extra breath of the fresh air, scented with clover and honeysuckle and -- coming from far away -- pine smoke. He laid his hoe down gently, and savored one last moment of feeling warm soil beneath his bare feet. He reminded himself, "I will never be allowed outside again. Maybe never again as long as I live."
He turned and walked into the house, as silently as a shadow.
Plot Summary:
In the not-so-distant future, overpopulation has led to draconian laws limiting families to no more than two children, and Population Police ruthlessly enforce the law. Thus Luke, his family's third child, has lived his entire life in hiding, and now that a new development is being built on the edge of his family's land, he can't even go into the yard anymore, nor can he go into rooms with windows, as the neighbors grow suspicious if the shades are pulled all the time.
This miserable, isolated existence is interrupted when he discovers another shadow child living in a nearby house, and risks his and his family's lives to meet her. But this other shadow, Jen, child of an official with the Population Police, is less passive about her situation -- she is organizing a protest march to try to free the shadow children.
Related Books:
Other Books in this Series
Among the Impostors
Among the Betrayed
Among the Barons
Among the Brave
Among the Enemy
Also by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Leaving Fishers
Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey
Running Out of Time
Other Dystopian Novels
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
Messenger by Lois Lowry
No Kidding by Bruce Brooks
The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
2041 by Jane Yolen
The Last Book in the Universe by Rodman Philbrick
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1984 by George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Related Website
A fansite
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ViolenceA major child character is killed, offstage and not described. |
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