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Among the Hidden (Shadow Children #1)

by Margaret Peterson Haddix, Cliff Nielsen (Illustrator)

3.97 · rating details · 19,735 ratings · 2,190 reviews

Following the futuristic storylines of "1984" and "Brave New World" comes "Among the Hidden". Luke is a third child in a family with already two boys. This is breaking a decree established by the government. He's successfully hidden in his parent's home without discovery for 12 years, but a stray glimpse through an air vent reveals his prohibi...more

Paperback, 151 pages

Published June 12th 2002 by Aladdin (first published January 1st 1998)

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Apr 02, 2008

Maddie 22 rated it

· review of another edition

I love this book! Iwould recomend it for anybody who has a craving for excitment and adventure. I also love the use of words, and the excitment. I cannot stop reading the book. Margaret Peterson Haddix is a tallented auther and has AMAZING creativity with books and words. Any book that she writes is or will be wonderfull.

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Aug 02, 2007

Mai rated it

Shelves: ya, sf, children-s-book, dystopian-universe, family, friends, sisters-brothers, social-issues, series-finished

After reading this, I am very surprised that the publishers determined the targeted reading age group to be "Age 8-12".

It's a bit like Brave New World for YA. (See that bold print in the back that says: "an ALA Best Book for Young Adults".)

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Jan 01, 2010

dioscurio rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2-ebook

Bagus. Ringan. Nggak tebel. Menyentuh. Intinya gw sukaaaaaaaaaa !!

Apa jadinya jika Bumi terus mengalami over-populated ? Bagaimana sumber daya, terutama bahan pangan, bisa cukup untuk semua orang ? Tema ini yg (mungkin) berusaha diangkat Haddix dalam seri ini: dalam bentuk sebuah universe dimana Population Law adalah bible semua orang.

Apa yg terjadi jika kamu hidup di negeri dengan Population Law menggema dimana2. Bukan. Bukan kayak di Cina dengan kebijakan 1 anak yg keta...moreBagus. Ringan. Nggak tebel. Menyentuh. Intinya gw sukaaaaaaaaaa !!

Apa jadinya jika Bumi terus mengalami over-populated ? Bagaimana sumber daya, terutama bahan pangan, bisa cukup untuk semua orang ? Tema ini yg (mungkin) berusaha diangkat Haddix dalam seri ini: dalam bentuk sebuah universe dimana Population Law adalah bible semua orang.

Apa yg terjadi jika kamu hidup di negeri dengan Population Law menggema dimana2. Bukan. Bukan kayak di Cina dengan kebijakan 1 anak yg ketat itu, yg pelanggarnya bisa didenda ato masuk penjara. Tapi di negeri dimana pelanggar aturan Population Law bisa disingkirkan untuk selamanya. Nggak sekadar didenda ato penjara, tapi ditembak mati !!

Negeri tempat the third child -- anak ketiga -- tidak diakui dan dianggap tidak ada. Negeri dimana banyak orang tua egois yg melanggar aturan Population Law menyembunyikan anak2 ketiga ato keempat mereka, membuat anak2 malang itu sebagai pribadi yg seolah tidak ada. Shadow Children.

Among the Hidden mengetengahkan tema tersebut. Dituturkan dalam sudut pandang Luke, bocah petani 12 tahun yg nggak pernah keluar dari halaman rumahnya seumur hidup karena dia salah seorang Shadow Children.

Kemalangan demi kemalangan menimpa keluarga Luke, mulai dari hutan kecil di tanah pertanian mereka yg mendadak dibeli paksa pemerintah untuk diubah menjadi perumahan, yg mengakibatkan Luke nggak pernah boleh lagi keluar rumah, bahkan duduk di meja makan sekalipun, lalu Dad yg mendapat "surat perintah" larangan menernakkan babi dan menerapkan sistem penanaman hidroponik, sampai Property Tax yg naik gila2an.

Kita diajak menyelami perasaan Luke, kebosanannya terperangkap di rumah, keinginannya yg sederhana untuk menghirup udara kebebasan, sampai rasa bersalah sebagai anak ketiga yg menghabiskan makanan dan sumber daya yg seharusnya bisa diberikan pada orang lain. Meski ini jelas bukan salah Luke, melainkan orang tuanya yg melanggar aturan, ato pemerintah sendiri yg digambarkan "korup, miss-management, dan kejam" di cerita ini.

Cerita bergulir cepat, menarik dan cukup seru, dengan penyelesaian yg membuat penasaran.

Oke, universe yg dibangun Haddix di Shadow Children cukup menawan. Nggak lengkap2 amat, dengan beberapa bolong logika di sana sini, secara kita melihat dari sudut pandang Luke yg bagai katak dalam tempurung, tapi cukup memadai agar kita bisa mengerti keseluruhan cerita.

Nggak sabar mau baca ebook lanjutannya.(less)

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Mar 30, 2009

Farid rated it

· review of another edition

This book is about a boy that is living I think that in the future, because of the Law that is happening in the book. The law of this book is that the families cant have more than 2 childs. So Luke the main character has to be hidden, he stays inside his house, and cant go out because if they see him they would kill him. While Luke was wondering by the window of his room he saw a face on the window from the "Barons" the family beside their house, the girl was called Jenniffer and she w...more

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Mar 30, 2009

Alex Guajardo rated it

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This book is awesome!! It has a little of mystery, adventure, suspense and more cool stuff. I like all the book overall, I like how this 3rd child named Luke in a world of only 2 child can survive from the population police and the outside world. Another thing that I like is how Luke found out that in the neighbors house their was another illegal child. She was named Jen. Jen is a rich rebel girl that has a father that works for the government. During the story all this adventures happen that ar...more

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Dec 25, 2008

Rachelle rated it

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This is a decent book about a fictional community where the government controls everything. The people are only allowed to have 2 children so anything after 2 they hide them. This is a story about a boy that has been hidden his entire life and find out that there are other hidden children out there as well. He meets a girl and they become friends.
I have mixed feelings about this book. The reason I read it was because a friend of mine asked me about it. Her 11 year-old son read it an...more

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Feb 09, 2009

Fred Kirchner rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: teen-fiction

I was not expecting too much, and was rewarded with a pleasantly surprising read. You can fly through this book in just a few hours, but why should you...? Here's why: Haddix creates a charming, star-crossed protagonist living in a dystopian society as a Shadow Child. Families are only allowed two kids. Luke is the third child to a strapped farming couple living on the edge of civilization. For most of his life, Luke's had the run of the back forty, but when a new housing development bring...more

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Apr 17, 2010

Kelly rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: children-and-teens, science-fiction

The issue faced by the characters in the book, that of overpopulation and what to do about it, is an important one, and deserves to have a children's book written about it. The possibility that we will one day be limited to two children or fewer per family, and people will undergo forced sterilization, is not so unlikely. China already has strict population control laws (one child) with heavy fines for violators.

However the author simplifies the issue to a simple black and white set ...moreThe issue faced by the characters in the book, that of overpopulation and what to do about it, is an important one, and deserves to have a children's book written about it. The possibility that we will one day be limited to two children or fewer per family, and people will undergo forced sterilization, is not so unlikely. China already has strict population control laws (one child) with heavy fines for violators.

However the author simplifies the issue to a simple black and white set of extremes. She fails to fully examine the issue of overpopulation. In the book, the need for population leveling is solely due to food shortages. The characters assert that it's mostly due to mismanagement by the government that the famine happened at all. In fact, everything bad appears to be the fault of the controlling, fascist, yet inept government. Even in the end, the author doesn't appear to grasp the reality of the effect of our population explosion: Food is not the only issue. Others include, "Where will we put all the waste from these people? How will there be enough drinking water? How will we have enough energy to run the machines we need to support our society? Where will resources come from to create things like clothes, furniture, houses, cars? How do we deal with all the pollution this manufacturing brings with that many more people? And how will we survive when we've cut down all the trees and there is no oxygen being produced?

The simple answer given in the book seems to be "we could police ourselves--some people could have more kids if others had fewer". And who does that policing? We certainly aren't doing it now. What are realistic ways we can address this population issue?

The author also appears to be showing how fascist and evil the government is by showing how they outlawed junk food and even meat. Vegetarians are truly the evil of the future. ;) This is an interesting absurdity in that more calories are contained in fat than in anything else, so if food were scarce, it would make more sense to make food very high in fat.

One excellent point the author does assert is that those who make the laws often don't follow them. Exceptions are made when it is convenient for those in power. This is an excellent point and I would have liked this to be expanded a bit more. Especially since those in power (the U.S. right now) currently use up many times more resources per person than the non-powerful (3rd world countries). The barons in the book, by excepting themselves from the rules, are causing even greater harm. Yet, even that point isn't explained, just inferred.

Perhaps the simplicity is necessary for a children's story, and yet, the heaviness of the topic and the tragedy of the plot, are all mature enough themes that any reader of the book should be able to handle the additional complexity. The author also only shows one side of the story: that of the victims of an extremist, totalitarian government who dealt inappropriately with a very real disaster.

What I would have liked to have seen would have been an afterword that addressed some of these issues on a level kids could understand. Just presenting the ideas in a fictional context may be too confusing. Other award-winning children's books that either deal with confusing, heavy issues, or take place in other mystifying eras, have afterwards for more information. I think such a beast would help this book tremendously. As it is, I am curious to know what children reading this book come away with thinking: Is overpopulation bad? Or is the government bad and we don't really need to worry about overpopulation? Because I fear the latter is the message children will walk away with after reading this novel, I have to be very wary about recommending this book. (less)

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Jan 27, 2009

Kimberly rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrens-fiction

Wow! I can't wait to read the rest of the series. Luke is a "third" child in a society that inforces population control. Families are allowed only two children. He is loved but lead a very solitary life. He meets another "third" child, Jen, and they form a friendship. Jen is the leader of a group of thirds and she's trying to change the laws so they no longer have to hide. Very inspiring, tender and quite a cliff hanger!

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Jan 25, 2012

David K. rated it

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This book is about a kid names Luke who was lived his life hiding.
But, as he finds out, his new neighbors also have a hiding child.
Luke's hidden neighbor, Jen, is planning on rioting against the Government with many other hiding.
I wonder if Luke will her? I like this book because it is electricfying.

Jen's riot got herseft killed, and now Luke has a fake I.D. andis traveling away from his family.

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Feb 25, 2009

Kayla rated it

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The story of an illiginimate third child keeps you going and going. Each of the books switches main character which is nice because it shows different perspective.

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Nov 25, 2008

Jenny rated it

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Recommends it for: no one

Shelves: books-for-young-people

I am adding this book as a warning. The first book and a half are very interesting and the plot is fascinating. DO NOT LET YOUR CHILDREN READ THESE BOOKS!! Somewhere in the second book, it begins to get quite violent. By the fourth or fifth book, there is holocaust-type violence, children killing in cold blood, and outrageous examples of treachery and hate. These books are dangerous, as the first one is so good. Please use caution when you give your children books to read. I learned the ha...more

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Dec 10, 2008

Mwestarkey97 rated it

· review of another edition

i love this book. read others in the series to continue the adventure.

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Oct 04, 2010

Julie Klein rated it

· review of another edition

This book is GREAT so far! Wonderful recommendation by one of my fabulous students. Can't wait to discuss it in book club :)

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Jan 20, 2012

Miz Lizzie rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: childrensbooks, families, science-fiction

Well, okay, now I understand why this book is so popular in Arizona. Big bad government is the cause of all our problems. To stave off starvation due to over-population (which the government supposedly lied about), having more than two children is illegal (hey, that's more generous than China's population control!). Of course, deliberately or accidentally, people still have more than two children and hide them. Luke is one of those hidden children. He knows little about his world or why he h...more

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Jan 13, 2012

Sarah rated it

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How would you feel if you were the third child born in your family? And you are not allowed to be alive because of some stupid law that was made. Well that is what happens in the book Among The Hidden. A boy name Luke was born as a third child, and he had to keep hidden all his life. He could never go outside, play baseball, or hang out with friends. He was never able to be a normal kid. His life was pretty much hiding all the time. Until he found another third child.
Once Luke starts to s...more

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Dec 29, 2011

Arianna rated it

· review of another edition

Recommends it for: EVERYONE

Recommended to Arianna by: My Sister

I LOVE this book. I have read the whole Shadow Children Series and love all the books.I think that Haddix is a great author. I also like her books Found, Sent, Sabotaged, and Torn (a.k.a. The Missing Series) My favorite books in the Shadow Children Series are Among the Brave and Among the Enemy. I was really sad at the end of the book when Jen dies. I always wanted it to end up where she got away and didn't die, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. But I think this book is awesome and that ev...more

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Nov 15, 2011

Victoria Blakely added it · review of another edition

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix is the first book of a very addicting series. In this novel readers are introduced to the main character, Luke, who was born the unfortunate third child in a time where family's were only allowed to have two children at most. His whole life he is forced to hide in his addict on his family's farm, until the government takes his family's property to make room for more houses. Hiding then proceeded to get increasingly more hard for Luke until one day he ...more

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Oct 25, 2011

4brian rated it

· review of another edition

This book has a few main characters. This book actually if you think about it, there are a ton of main characters. This book and the whole series talks about Shadow Children. Shadow children are the third child in a family or any child beyond the third. They made a new law that says each family can only have two children in there family. If they had a third or more the population police would take the child and kill it.

All of the shadow children just want to live like every other perso...moreThis book has a few main characters. This book actually if you think about it, there are a ton of main characters. This book and the whole series talks about Shadow Children. Shadow children are the third child in a family or any child beyond the third. They made a new law that says each family can only have two children in there family. If they had a third or more the population police would take the child and kill it.

All of the shadow children just want to live like every other person can. They have to live in hiding. For example, Luke, a shadow child, when he was younger his family would let him wonder around in the field behind their house, now that he is older though, they are making him live inside all the time and has to do everything different just because he is the third child in his family. Luke one day sees that across the street, the family has a shadow child as well! He is braking his family rules and he runs across the street and meats this girl. Her name is Jane. Jane shows Luke all the ways shadow children can talk. They use a chat room that has a password so the government can't see that all of these kids are shadow children.

There are so many obstacles in this book. For example, Jane has a fake ID so she can go shopping with her mother and stuff like that. Jane, Luke, and all of the shadow children are sick of hiding, they have a plan that one night they will all leave there homes and enter the city. They have a huge plan made out that they will leave there home at night and never go back!

They deal with the obstacles by hiding till the plan to leave their home is ready and time to do. A lot of shadow children are not going to go with the plan. Luke doesn't go with the plan to leave home till another shadow child comes along and convinces Luke that it will be better to leave home. Luke when he leaves, keeps looking back till he can no longer see the roof of his house or Jane's house.

I really really enjoyed this book. If I get a chance, I will read the other books in this series. When I finished this book, I started thinking, "What would I do if I were in Luke's posisition. Would I leave home and never go back? Or would I stay at home and live in hiding for ever? I think I would have done what Luke did. Stay at home for an extra day or so and then go on my way and catch up to the other shadow children. If you have not read this book I really think you should. I loved this book!

(less)

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Oct 11, 2011

Kara Roberts rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: suspense, chapter-book, culture, family, fear, fiction, fitting-in, friends, heart-felt, problem-solving, progress, relationships, rules, safety, government

"Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.

Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he k...more

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Oct 10, 2011

Matt rated it

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Shelves: ya-lit-2011-2012

Summary: In the future due to over population families are only allowed two children. The Population Police are charged with enforcing this policy, however rules tend to get broken sometimes. Luke Garner is the third child of his family which has worked out so far as his family lives in the woods and no one is around. However when a housing development pops up near their house with a high ranking offical of the Population Police living their Luke and his family become worried. Luke who has never...more

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Oct 02, 2011

Moira Cummings rated it

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Among the Hidden
By: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Among the Hidden is a spectacular book filled with suspense. It is about a boy named Luke Garner, the special thing about him is that he is a third child. In that period of time you are not aloud to have more than two children. He had more freedom than most third children, he can actually go outside and be near windows. But that was before the Government decided to chop down the woods surround...more

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Sep 20, 2011

Alex Li rated it

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In Among the Hidden written by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a boy named Luke is the third child, but the law says a family could only have two children. If there is a third one, he/she must be killed. The fear of the consequences of being caught always flows through out Luke’s head so Luke always remains hidden. Luke later on changes from being scared and lonely to brave and with a friend. That’s because he meets a girl that is like him, a third child. I think I will find this book very interesting...more

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Sep 08, 2011

Fernando Tepox added it · review of another edition

All i can say is WOW THE BEST NOVELTY I HAVE READ SO FAR. I mean this is such an amazing book. Words can not explain how good this book really is. I mean when i first started reading this book i could not get my mind of it, when i went out with my friends i couldn't wait to get home and read this book. The thing that really got me into reading this book was that the book cover really caught my eye. It looked really interesting because there was a face and it was in the middle of the wood. My fi...more

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Aug 28, 2011

Sheila Judson rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Luke is a third child in a world governed by fear of hunger that bans the populace from having more than two children. Always having to hide hasn't been as unbearable until his father was forced to sell their wooded acres to the goverment for housing Barons. As the homes go up Luke is forced to spend all his time in his attic room and not even allowed to eat dinner with his family. While peeping out one day he swears he sees another child home in one of the new houses behind his. It takes fo...moreLuke is a third child in a world governed by fear of hunger that bans the populace from having more than two children. Always having to hide hasn't been as unbearable until his father was forced to sell their wooded acres to the goverment for housing Barons. As the homes go up Luke is forced to spend all his time in his attic room and not even allowed to eat dinner with his family. While peeping out one day he swears he sees another child home in one of the new houses behind his. It takes four days to find out for sure and another world opens up to Luke when he finds he is not alone as a third child. Jen is a third and surprisingly, her step father works for the Population Police. Jen has visions of freedom and through an illegal and secret web site, is in contact with thousands of third children who plan to rally at the President's home to be seen and acknowledged. Luke's fear keeps him from attending but after a week without word from Jen and nothing on the radio news he cant help himself and goes to the house next door to find out what happened to Jen. After breaking in and logging onto the web site heis surprised by Jens father who gets an alarm that someone has entered his home. Jen's father tells Luke that the government has killed the children who went to the rally, all forty of them. He explains that he hates what the government is doing but is trying to work from the inside to change things. There will be an investigation because Luke set off an alarm at the Population Police by logging onto Jens website. As the police storm the house and Jen's father tells them lies to cover up the reason he hides Luke but when they leave he tells Luke that he has a choice to make. He can stay at home where they will probably come searching and he will be in even greater danger, or he can assume another identity of a boy who recently died in an accident and live free. After some thought Luke decided that it would be better to assume an identity where he can live in the world and grow up with the intention of trying to change things and make a difference for third children. Even though his family is heartbroken, they know that it will be a better world for Luke to be able to live each day without the fear and without being among the hidden.(less)

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Aug 16, 2011

Jamie rated it

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Shelves: 11th-grade-books

Summary:
Luke lived in a society where only two children were allowed to be born into a single family, otherwise the third child would be know as a shadow child. It was forbidden for other than two children to be in a family, therefore Luke's existence and others must remain a secret. Luke has never been out of his home and he finally made a friend next door named Jen, who was also a shadow child. Luke and Jen always snuck around and talked about being a shadow child and what they could do t...moreSummary:
Luke lived in a society where only two children were allowed to be born into a single family, otherwise the third child would be know as a shadow child. It was forbidden for other than two children to be in a family, therefore Luke's existence and others must remain a secret. Luke has never been out of his home and he finally made a friend next door named Jen, who was also a shadow child. Luke and Jen always snuck around and talked about being a shadow child and what they could do to change the future. Although Luke only knew one shadow child, Jen knew tons and many of the shadow children were planning to go and protest for their individual rights to live and not be hidden. Luke struggled and Jen left him behind to go and join the protesting herself. After days passed by, Luke anxious went over to Jen's home to see if she was okay, if the protest was a success like she exclaimed it would be. Sneaking in and hiding from Jen's father, Jen's father discovered Luke and told him the tragic truth of what happened to Jen at the protest; without any hesitation, the police shot every single shadow child that was protesting and they did not even get a chance to do what they all had set out to do in the first place - Jen had died.

My favorite part:
Although I would not say it was my favorite part, I thought that it was the most intense and the most interesting part out of the book; when Jen's father came home and Luke scurried to hide somewhere without being caught. However Jen's father still remained to find Luke and told Luke what had happen to Jen. I thought that this was the saddest part because Jen would talk to Luke about how everything would change and be different for the shadow children - she was the one that gave Luke hope. She also gave me hopes that the protest might actually work and the protest may actually make a huge difference. I think she symbolized hope and changed throughout the story because she made an impact on Luke. Even though neither of them knew how brutal they were, Jen and the other shadow children spoke loudly and clearly to gain their rights. (less)

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Jul 11, 2011

Tiffany Cooke rated it

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Recommends it for: Teenagers

Shelves: 2011

My class just finished reading Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Luke is one of the Shadow Children; the 3rd child born in a family. In this futuristic world, overpopulation has caused mass starvation and famines. To alleviate these issues, the government has forbidden many things: pets, junk food, and more than two children per family. Luke is forced to hide day after day in the attic looking out vents at the world he can't be a part of in any form. Life changes for Luke w...more

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May 28, 2011

Nic rated it

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Shelves: sucks-to-be-everyone-in-this-book

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Good worldbuilding, and decent characterization. The book feels a little young to me, but that might just be because it - and each of its chapters - is so short.

I'm actually pleased with the twist the rally takes - strange for me, as I typically like things to be less dark and tragic rather than more. I guess it seemed like things were going too straightforwardly. I especially like that Jen's father tells Luke what I'd suspected: that both the Government's books (capitalization the...moreGood worldbuilding, and decent characterization. The book feels a little young to me, but that might just be because it - and each of its chapters - is so short.

I'm actually pleased with the twist the rally takes - strange for me, as I typically like things to be less dark and tragic rather than more. I guess it seemed like things were going too straightforwardly. I especially like that Jen's father tells Luke what I'd suspected: that both the Government's books (capitalization the author's, not mine) and the underground articles are skewed, so neither is exactly the truth. I'd been afraid that the story was going in a really heavy-handed "population control BAD" direction, but it turns out that's just Jen's bias, which makes a lot of sense.

(Similarly, it's cool when Luke learns that the Government doesn't have the kind of near-total omniscience propaganda had led his family to believe - that they don't automatically hear everything you say on a phone and see everything you type on a computer - and cool again when he finds out with Jen's abandoned chat room that oops, sometimes they ARE watching.)

I guess I also didn't want to see Jen be entirely successful because, while I think she's an admirable character, she's hotheaded and, to be honest, a tiny bit obnoxiously over-capable. Hacking Government websites, making bribes, ordering people around . . . And though Luke only thinks of her as a show-off when he's angry, I think she kind of is one. I can sympathize with being a teen girl who doesn't love getting dragged out for clothes shopping, but to describe the whole life-risking experience of an illegal trip to the mall as "really boring" to someone who's never gotten to go a block from his house? Jen's either a show-off or so privileged as to dabble in being obliviously annoying. I think the author's going mostly for the latter, since there's a time or two when Jen is more obvious about viewing things through the lens of being a privileged Baron: saying that of course, "everyone" has security guards, and so on.

Of course, I'd only hoped (and assumed, especially since I know this is the first of a series) that the rally wouldn't go off without a hitch and do everything that Jen wanted, even though her goals are just and fair and a peaceful rally should be a way to accomplish them. I was jarred to hear that she and the others were actually gunned down - and jarred again to hear that her parents got her body, meaning that her death is probably for real. Sad as her death is - and I did almost cry at one point - I really hope she doesn't surface later as having somehow tricked her way through everything and survived to become some kind of underground rebel heroine.

As of halfway through the book, I was doubting I'd read the rest of the series, but now I think I'll at least pick up the next one. I'm impressed with the author's commitment to the idea, and curious about what Luke/Lee will find at the boarding school where he's headed at the end. (Also, whether the author is going to switch to calling him Lee in the next book, or what.) Plus, this took me, like, two and a half hours to read maybe, so I think I can manage another.

As a side note, the names are interesting. There's the whole Matthew-Mark-Luke-John thing, but then there's also General Sherman and Luke's new name, Grant Lee. So, yeah, stuff going on with the names. I'll be curious to see how the Barons' names look in the next book.(less)

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May 17, 2011

Jessica rated it

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Shelves: young-adult-books

This book was just all right. I like the idea behind it, this whole hidden third child idea, especially since I just recently read Ender's Game for the first time. But the execution is sort of...weak. This was a short read, which was nice, but nothing important really happens. At least the first half of the book is spent just establishing how terrible Luke's life is, how sorry he feels about himself, how he really isn't a part of his family, etc. And then the rest of the plot is pretty lame beca...more

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May 15, 2011

Haley rated it

· review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The book Among the Hidden was very well written. It was a clever idea and also it really hooks you in. It is very suspenseful and you never know what it going to happen next. All of the characters in the book have their own unique style, way of doing things, and personality. The way they all interact with one another is very interesting. The author did a very good job of describing details of each event. Always making each event more interesting than the one before it. I would suggest this book ...more

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sequel?	23	104	Jan 25, 2012 08:50pm
was it a good book	2	7	Jan 22, 2012 01:44pm
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About Margaret Peterson Haddix

Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm near Washington Court House, Ohio. She graduated from Miami University (of Ohio) with degrees in English/journalism, English/creative writing and history. Before her first book was published, she worked as a newspaper copy editor in Fort Wayne, Indiana; a newspaper reporter in Indianapolis; and a community college instructor and freelance writer in Danvil...more

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Books by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Among the Impostors (Shadow Children, #2)

Among the Betrayed (Shadow Children, #3)

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Quotes from Among the Hidden

“I want to Live! Not Die, Not Hide, LIVE!” — 42 people liked it

“Sure you can be a coward and hope somone else changes the wrld for you. You can hide up in that attic of yours until someone knocks on the door and says, 'Oh, hey, they freed the hidden. Want to come out?' Is that what you want"
Luke didnt answer
"You've got to come, Luke, or you'll hate yourself the rest of your life. When you dont have to hide anymore, even years from now, there'll always be some small part of you whispering 'I don't deserve this. I didnt fight for it. I'm not worth it.' And you are, Luke, you are. You're smart and funny and nice, and you should be living life, instead of being buried alive in that old house of yours” — 10 people liked it

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Among the Hidden (Shadow Children #1)

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