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kathydavie's review against another edition
5.0
First in the Shadow Children dystopian science fiction series for middle-grade readers and revolving around Luke Garner, a forbidden third child.
Among the Hidden was nominated for the Bluestem Book Award in 2018. In 2002, it won the Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 6–8, and in 2001, it won the Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 6–8 and the California Young Readers' Medal for Middle School/Junior High. In 2000, Among the Hidden was nominated for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award.
My Take
Ugh! This is an awful world they live in. A government that tells you how and what to plant, grow, or raise, and doesn't care if you can make a living at what they tell you. In truth, they want to keep you under...hmmm...sounds like what they're doing to us now. Pets are no longer allowed. Even worse...junk food is outlawed! The next step is enforced vegetarianism!
It makes me so angry when the government develops this fancy new subdivision next door to the Garners' farm, and "oh, no, none of their new neighbors will want to smell pig manure. You'll have to stop raising pigs, even if they do bring in a good income. Oh, and by the way, with all these new homes that cost so much, your taxes have gone up."
Haddix slips her criticism in very neatly, as Jen, — such an altruist, believing in hope, and so naïve — passes on her dad's words about the population growing too big and food production not keeping up, as poor organization. Gotta admit, that sounds about right.
The one thing I took away from this was how incredibly unfair this is to Luke. No one knows he exists. He can never be seen by or talk to anyone outside his immediate family. He must always be hidden. What kind of life is this for a child? Haddix makes this so clear by using third person simple subjective point-of-view from Luke's perspective, as he dwells on how invisible he is.
And it's Jen who inspires Luke to no longer sit back and let things happen.
The Story
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another third convinces him that the government is wrong.
The Characters
Luke Garner is the youngest, the unexpected baby they couldn't kill. Matthew and Mark are his older brothers. Edna and Harlan are his parents who work the farm. The non-local family members include Aunt Effie and Lisabeth, none of whom know Luke exists.
Their neighbors include the Willikers and the new Barons who move in, whom Luke names: the Big Car Family, the Sports Family, the Birdbrain Family, the Golds, and more.
Jennifer "Jen" Talbot (of the Sports Family) is a shadow child who refuses to stay in the shadows. She refers to her older brothers, Bulleton and Brownley, as Bull and Brawn. George Talbot is her dad who works for the Population Police.
Sean, Carlos, Yolanda, and Pat, are all third children, shadows. Lee Grant is a new person.
The Population Police keep an eye out for third children. General Sherwood came to power and reordered our world. Barons are rich people. A shadow child is one that doesn't officially exist, a third child.
The Cover and Title
The cover is grim in its greens and browns with a close-up of Luke looking back over his shoulder at two figures on the other side of a lace-curtained window.The text is primarily white, starting with the info blurb at the very top and then the author's name. An embossed silver "coin" is bordered with the name of the series with a central interlocking, Celtic-looking knot. Immediately below that is the title with the words split between a pale yellow and white. The same sort of split occurs in the series information below that with another info blurb to the right in a bright yellow.
The title refers to Luke, as being one Among the Hidden.
Among the Hidden was nominated for the Bluestem Book Award in 2018. In 2002, it won the Pennsylvania Young Readers' Choice Award for Grades 6–8, and in 2001, it won the Sunshine State Young Readers Award for Grades 6–8 and the California Young Readers' Medal for Middle School/Junior High. In 2000, Among the Hidden was nominated for the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award.
My Take
Ugh! This is an awful world they live in. A government that tells you how and what to plant, grow, or raise, and doesn't care if you can make a living at what they tell you. In truth, they want to keep you under...hmmm...sounds like what they're doing to us now. Pets are no longer allowed. Even worse...junk food is outlawed! The next step is enforced vegetarianism!
It makes me so angry when the government develops this fancy new subdivision next door to the Garners' farm, and "oh, no, none of their new neighbors will want to smell pig manure. You'll have to stop raising pigs, even if they do bring in a good income. Oh, and by the way, with all these new homes that cost so much, your taxes have gone up."
Haddix slips her criticism in very neatly, as Jen, — such an altruist, believing in hope, and so naïve — passes on her dad's words about the population growing too big and food production not keeping up, as poor organization. Gotta admit, that sounds about right.
The one thing I took away from this was how incredibly unfair this is to Luke. No one knows he exists. He can never be seen by or talk to anyone outside his immediate family. He must always be hidden. What kind of life is this for a child? Haddix makes this so clear by using third person simple subjective point-of-view from Luke's perspective, as he dwells on how invisible he is.
And it's Jen who inspires Luke to no longer sit back and let things happen.
The Story
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another third convinces him that the government is wrong.
The Characters
Luke Garner is the youngest, the unexpected baby they couldn't kill. Matthew and Mark are his older brothers. Edna and Harlan are his parents who work the farm. The non-local family members include Aunt Effie and Lisabeth, none of whom know Luke exists.
Their neighbors include the Willikers and the new Barons who move in, whom Luke names: the Big Car Family, the Sports Family, the Birdbrain Family, the Golds, and more.
Jennifer "Jen" Talbot (of the Sports Family) is a shadow child who refuses to stay in the shadows. She refers to her older brothers, Bulleton and Brownley, as Bull and Brawn. George Talbot is her dad who works for the Population Police.
Sean, Carlos, Yolanda, and Pat, are all third children, shadows. Lee Grant is a new person.
The Population Police keep an eye out for third children. General Sherwood came to power and reordered our world. Barons are rich people. A shadow child is one that doesn't officially exist, a third child.
The Cover and Title
The cover is grim in its greens and browns with a close-up of Luke looking back over his shoulder at two figures on the other side of a lace-curtained window.The text is primarily white, starting with the info blurb at the very top and then the author's name. An embossed silver "coin" is bordered with the name of the series with a central interlocking, Celtic-looking knot. Immediately below that is the title with the words split between a pale yellow and white. The same sort of split occurs in the series information below that with another info blurb to the right in a bright yellow.
The title refers to Luke, as being one Among the Hidden.
karrama's review against another edition
4.0
Tis a good premise but not a difficult story to follow. It's nice to see the dyspotic come to YA and I'm glad these books introduce children to things like governmental distrust and population growth issues.
sumayyaha's review against another edition
5.0
I almost shed a tear. Truly a compelling dystopian read.
ridiculousamanda's review against another edition
3.0
Luke is a 12 year old boy who likes helping his dad and older brothers, Matthew and Mark, out on their family farm. He likes reading with his mom. He also likes playing outside in the vast backyard... until the Government begins tearing down the woods behind the house and building a new neighborhood for the wealthy families - The Barons.
Barons have everything. Money, fancy cars, nice houses. Apparently, the also have the ability to break the law without penalty. The Government and the Population Police have outlawed having more than two children. Remember Luke's brothers? Yes, brothers. Matthew and Mark... and Luke. Luke is a hidden child, a shadow child, a third, confined to the house after the new neighborhood development, he now lives as a recluse in the attic of his family's farmhouse, never to step outside or darken a window again. Until he sees movement from one of the neighbor's houses. A Baron neighbor house who has two football jock sons that go to school and a mother and father that work in the city and leave the house every day. So why is there movement in the house?
Luke discovers Jen, another third, living in the Baron house. She has a computer, something Luke's only ever really heard about, since he's not allowed near the one in his house for fear that the Goverment is watching through the monitor. She also has chips, brown, fizzy drinks and cookies! There's something else Jen has that Luke doesn't, aside from luxurious foods and technology. She has doubts. Doubts that there isn't enough food for people to have third children. Doubts that the Government won't do anything to rid itself of thirds. Luke has something Jen doesn't have, though. Fear. Fear that the Government knows everything and will swoop in to kill them if they use the computer or watch TV. If only Jen had that fear...
After making friends online with other thirds, Jen decides to rally at the president's house. She wants to be free! She wants to live an actual life not cooped up indoors. Luke, of course, wants these things, too, but as he tells Jen before she leaves for the rally, "I still can't go. I'm sorry. It's something about having parents who are farmers, not lawyers. And not being a Baron. It's people like you who change history. People like me -- we just let things happen to us" (117).
If only Jen didn't have her doubts that the Government wouldn't do anything to a large group of rallying thirds.
They would.
And they did.
Jen and all her rallying buddies were shot on the steps of the president's house without a second thought. Luke goes to Jen's house a few days after the rally to see if she's made it home yet when he's greeted by someone else, Jen's father, who has a gun. Instead of killing the boy (as he should because he's a member of the Population Police) Jen's father gives Luke a fake ID and sends him to a boarding school. He gives Luke a chance to live. A chance to live outside of his attic room, to go to school, to change the world.
Will he? We'll see....
Barons have everything. Money, fancy cars, nice houses. Apparently, the also have the ability to break the law without penalty. The Government and the Population Police have outlawed having more than two children. Remember Luke's brothers? Yes, brothers. Matthew and Mark... and Luke. Luke is a hidden child, a shadow child, a third, confined to the house after the new neighborhood development, he now lives as a recluse in the attic of his family's farmhouse, never to step outside or darken a window again. Until he sees movement from one of the neighbor's houses. A Baron neighbor house who has two football jock sons that go to school and a mother and father that work in the city and leave the house every day. So why is there movement in the house?
Luke discovers Jen, another third, living in the Baron house. She has a computer, something Luke's only ever really heard about, since he's not allowed near the one in his house for fear that the Goverment is watching through the monitor. She also has chips, brown, fizzy drinks and cookies! There's something else Jen has that Luke doesn't, aside from luxurious foods and technology. She has doubts. Doubts that there isn't enough food for people to have third children. Doubts that the Government won't do anything to rid itself of thirds. Luke has something Jen doesn't have, though. Fear. Fear that the Government knows everything and will swoop in to kill them if they use the computer or watch TV. If only Jen had that fear...
After making friends online with other thirds, Jen decides to rally at the president's house. She wants to be free! She wants to live an actual life not cooped up indoors. Luke, of course, wants these things, too, but as he tells Jen before she leaves for the rally, "I still can't go. I'm sorry. It's something about having parents who are farmers, not lawyers. And not being a Baron. It's people like you who change history. People like me -- we just let things happen to us" (117).
If only Jen didn't have her doubts that the Government wouldn't do anything to a large group of rallying thirds.
They would.
And they did.
Jen and all her rallying buddies were shot on the steps of the president's house without a second thought. Luke goes to Jen's house a few days after the rally to see if she's made it home yet when he's greeted by someone else, Jen's father, who has a gun. Instead of killing the boy (as he should because he's a member of the Population Police) Jen's father gives Luke a fake ID and sends him to a boarding school. He gives Luke a chance to live. A chance to live outside of his attic room, to go to school, to change the world.
Will he? We'll see....
broccoligoddess's review against another edition
This is the book/series that got me first interested in reading as a child
davinci10038's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75