Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, is the first book in the Shadow Children series. The series is about a time in the future when families are not allowed to have more than two children. The main character, Luke, is the third child in his family. This means that he is hidden from the public and kept secret from the government. He never leaves his family's farm and is careful about being seen outside by anyone. Luke is twelve in the book and has managed to stay hidden all of his life. But he doens't like hiding and wants to live free like his two older brothers. His situations worsens when the government forces his family to sell their back woods. A new neighborhood springs up right behind Luke's house and he can no longer go outside! One day he sees a face in the window of one of the new houses and suspects that the family living there has a hidden child as well. He ventures to the house and discovers a girl named Jen living hidden there. Jen is an activist trying hard to free all of the shadow children. Through a sad turn of events, the Jen is killed by the government, leaving Luke in great danger. In the end, Luke decides to start a new life with a fake I.D. as a different person in order to carry on with Jen's quest to free the shadow children. I loved this book and can't wait to read the second book, Among the Impostors. I recommend this series to third - fifth grade children. They will love it!