Monday Book Recs--Haddix and Levine series for MG

Margaret Peterson Haddix's Among the Hidden:

I am reading through The Shadow Children books with my youngest son, 9, for the fourth time this year. The first in the series is Among the Hidden and I think it is one of the smartest sf books for middle grade ever. Luke is the third child who has to remain hidden or he will be killed by an oppressive government. He survives by enjoying his family's farmland, until the government buys the farm and starts building houses on it. Then he discovers one of the baron (rich, government) families also has a third child. Not every book in the series is as good as every other book, but I think they are all worth reading, and they are just right for kids making the jump from Magic Tree House. They are also books that I would love to duplicate in my own attempts at writing for middle grade.

Gail Carson Levine's Cinderellis and the Glass Hill:
There are 6 (I think) of these twisted fairy tales, all told with a whimsical sense of humor and a delight in both the magic and the frivolity of fairy tales. Cinderellis is perhaps my favorite because instead of a female Cinderella, you have a male one and you know how I love gender role reversals. But every book in this series is so much fun. They are short and easy to read and all three of my daughters read them multiple times. I loved the retelling of The Princess and the Pea, Sleeping Beauty, and Diamonds and Toads. Also a series I would love to duplicate. They look like they are super easy to write, but try it for yourself. I think you'll discover that no one does this kind of story like Gail Carson Levine. There is genius behind them.