Among The Hidden. by Margaret Peterson Haddix. (1998). 153p. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Awards and Honors: Top 10--ALA Best Books for Young Adults, An ALA Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Reader, YALSA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults, California Young Readers Medal
Review:
A quick-paced and accessible dystopia for tween readers, Among the Hidden is the first book is Haddix's Shadow Children trilogy. Sometime in the not-too-distant future, a totalitarian government prohibits families from having more than two children. Luke is a third child- a "shadow child"- whose very existence is punishable by death by the Population Police. Luke must hide in an attic to keep his existence a secret, he cannot go to school, or even leave the house and he has little hope for the future until he meets another shadow child who has big plans to defy the government and try to change the lives of all shadow children. But when tragedy strikes, Luke must take a terrible risk to try to keep himself and his family safe.
Opinion:
While I thought that the dialogue was stilted in places, Haddix does a good job of maintaining pacing while setting up the back story of the book. It's an easy read, but it holds appeal for older readers for its action.
While I thought that the dialogue was stilted in places, Haddix does a good job of maintaining pacing while setting up the back story of the book. It's an easy read, but it holds appeal for older readers for its action.
Ideas:
With the new found popularity of dystopias, recommend this for tweens who may not be ready to tackle Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series.
With the new found popularity of dystopias, recommend this for tweens who may not be ready to tackle Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games series.
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