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Shadow Children
Shadow Children Complete Set, Books 1-7: Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free
In a future society that allows only two children per family, all third children are in danger from the dreaded Population Police, and these forbidden kids must work together to survive. Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children books are a huge hit with today's young readers, and now fans can own all seven thrillers from the best-selling series. Kids won't be able to stop turning the pages of each gripping read! Among the Hidden, Among the Impostors, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.
Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
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3376 people want to read
About the author
Margaret Peterson Haddix
107 books6,406 followersMargaret 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 Danville, Illinois.
She has since written more than 25 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey; Leaving Fishers; Just Ella; Turnabout; Takeoffs and Landings; The Girl with 500 Middle Names; Because of Anya; Escape from Memory; Say What?; The House on the Gulf; Double Identity; Dexter the Tough; Uprising; Palace of Mirrors; Claim to Fame; the Shadow Children series; and the Missing series. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and more than a dozen state reader’s choice awards.
Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, with their two children.
She has since written more than 25 books for kids and teens, including Running Out of Time; Don’t You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey; Leaving Fishers; Just Ella; Turnabout; Takeoffs and Landings; The Girl with 500 Middle Names; Because of Anya; Escape from Memory; Say What?; The House on the Gulf; Double Identity; Dexter the Tough; Uprising; Palace of Mirrors; Claim to Fame; the Shadow Children series; and the Missing series. She also wrote Into the Gauntlet, the tenth book in the 39 Clues series. Her books have been honored with New York Times bestseller status, the International Reading Association’s Children’s Book Award; American Library Association Best Book and Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers notations; and more than a dozen state reader’s choice awards.
Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, with their two children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
March 13, 2023
This series is Amazing! I know it's pretty easy reading, but if you aren't too embarassed to settle for the medium font size i can promise you--you won't regret it. it set in a different time, neither in the past, nor in the future, just a different time. A time and place where food famine has struck a country and has made it desprate; so desprate that it bans couples from having more than two kids. the main character, Luke, is a third child, and he must hide from the outside, cause the penalty for disobeying is death on the spot. He thinks he all alone...until he finds Jen, a third like him. The first book ends sad, but sets the tone and pace for the rest of the series. Not every book is told by him - just 4 of the 7 - and you get to see the story from three other characters who play important roles. Through out the series, you get to see how the characters look up to Luke and how each book winds it's way into the other. Luke is seen as a hero to all the thirds, but in the last book you get to see how he feels about himself, and how he under-estimates his influence. i love this series just because how real they seem. i love the idea that kids can change the way of a nation and the empowerment you get from reading the stories. i totally recommend these books for everyone!
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May 21, 2010
These books were very interesting. I really did read the whole series too. They are a very fast read and the kids like them. It doesn't ever say where or what year this story takes place, but you assume the future.
There were parts (Among the Barons) that actualy got to me because I pictured the thoughts of a terrorist, or how he would rationalize anyway. Other parts (Among the free and before) where it reminded me of the Nazi regime. It definatly gives you an idea of what our country to do if Government got out of control.
Zach loved the first book but not the next 2 so much. That is where he stopped. It does get long, but leaves enough cliff hangers to keep you interested. It's such a fast read, you can read one book a day.
There were parts (Among the Barons) that actualy got to me because I pictured the thoughts of a terrorist, or how he would rationalize anyway. Other parts (Among the free and before) where it reminded me of the Nazi regime. It definatly gives you an idea of what our country to do if Government got out of control.
Zach loved the first book but not the next 2 so much. That is where he stopped. It does get long, but leaves enough cliff hangers to keep you interested. It's such a fast read, you can read one book a day.
October 26, 2011
Thinking geting this? Then you picked the right book! At first i was't sure if i was going to read it but i started and it was very good i found my self reading on and on.Like i was right beside the main characters.And here i am now im on Among the free and i still feel like im on book one. some of the best books i have read. This book is a must have!
February 14, 2011
Read in 5th grade, it has to be one of my all time favorite series for YA. If you're a Haddix fan, it's impossible not to fall in love the Shadow Childern Series, or as I referred to them, "The among the books". All seven novels are full of suspence and will leave you hanging wanting to read more.
October 20, 2012
This is one of my favorite series! I finished all books in a two week span. Full of excitement and suspense, this series explores what it would be like to live in a world where each family was only allowed to have two children. What happens though if there's more? What if the population police don't know about them? What kind of quality to life would there be? Find out in this amazing series!
January 8, 2022
I read this entire series as a child/pre-teen (elementary-middle school) and absolutely loved them! I plan to encourage my daughter -years from now- to read them as well. If you have a middle schooler (possibly a high schooler) who enjoys adventure, I highly recommend they pick this series up!
June 8, 2018
First of all, having read the entire series of this young adult phenomenon, I could simply not find it in my soul to seperate them in the reviews. Trust me when I say you will find it impossible to seperate one from the other once you have begun. The good news, they are fast reads so it will not consume too much of your time to read the entire thing from start to finish. How many books are we truly talking about, anyway? Let me introduce you to your new favorite young adult series:
Among the Hidden
Among the Imposters
Among the Betrayed
Among the Barons
Among the Brave
Among the Enemy
Among the Free
This series fell into my hands in pieces. First, the original book was offered by Scholastic for only $1 a few years back. I purchased 8 copies of the book, always eager to find good deals on books and always trusting Scholastic's judgement. The book was, in a word, remarkable. The idea behind this story is that in a country who has similarities to our own, after a food shortage, the government declares it illegal for a family to have more than two children. The story follows Luke, a third child born to a quiet farming family, who doesn't understand the magnitude of his very existence.
I never knew the remaining six books in the series existed. You see, the first book ends in such a way that you almost imagine what may happen later. I was unaware that Ms. Haddix had made it unnecessary for me to imagine. However, I assigned the book that first year it hit my shelves to a group of 8 boys who declared they "hated reading". My philosophy is that all children who don't like to read simply haven't found that book yet. It's out there, I often tell my class, waiting to grab your attention and hook you on reading, you just have to be willing to continue searching. It is always my goal to have each and every student in my class be able to answer the question "what is your favorite book?" by the end of the year. I'm proud to say 5 of those 8 listed "Among the Hidden" when asked that question. In other words, it was a hit. I continued to use it year-after-year.
Fast forward to this year. Another young almost-reader struggling to find his book finds it again in Among the Hidden. His mother, grateful, promptly purchased a classroom set of all 7 books for my shelf. I was shocked, remember, I didn't know they existed. Hence how I came to read the entire series from start to finish and sit here writing this (incredibly wordy, my apologies) review.
This is a rare series. Once I hit the 3rd book I noticed something odd was happening, each of these books was better than the last. That is not a typo, although those of you familiar with most series will understand how rare that truly is. The books simply kept getting more intense, more agressive, and more poignant as they moved toward a strong stand against government corruption and the idea that power corrupts.
I was almost afraid to begin "Among the Free". Although the name implies it will end well for Luke and his friends, I was terrified with how it would be accomplished. The cover simply stated "fans of the series will not be dissapointed" and I cannot agree more. Haddix did not fall into the typical series endings. She chose to end on a beautiful note, one that would probably not work for any other series. Instead of ending her series with a happily-ever-after, Haddix stretched out infinite possibility and imagination. You'll have to read the series to see why this is effective.
All in all, I'm so very grateful that I have this amazing series in my classroom. There is a waiting list 4 preteens deep to check them out of my classroom shelves, and they are being returned to rave reviews. As a class we highly agree this series deserved 5 huge stars, and the kids claim I also need to include a tear for at least one spot in the series where "even you must have almost cried". Highly recommended from our classroom to yours!
Among the Hidden
Among the Imposters
Among the Betrayed
Among the Barons
Among the Brave
Among the Enemy
Among the Free
This series fell into my hands in pieces. First, the original book was offered by Scholastic for only $1 a few years back. I purchased 8 copies of the book, always eager to find good deals on books and always trusting Scholastic's judgement. The book was, in a word, remarkable. The idea behind this story is that in a country who has similarities to our own, after a food shortage, the government declares it illegal for a family to have more than two children. The story follows Luke, a third child born to a quiet farming family, who doesn't understand the magnitude of his very existence.
I never knew the remaining six books in the series existed. You see, the first book ends in such a way that you almost imagine what may happen later. I was unaware that Ms. Haddix had made it unnecessary for me to imagine. However, I assigned the book that first year it hit my shelves to a group of 8 boys who declared they "hated reading". My philosophy is that all children who don't like to read simply haven't found that book yet. It's out there, I often tell my class, waiting to grab your attention and hook you on reading, you just have to be willing to continue searching. It is always my goal to have each and every student in my class be able to answer the question "what is your favorite book?" by the end of the year. I'm proud to say 5 of those 8 listed "Among the Hidden" when asked that question. In other words, it was a hit. I continued to use it year-after-year.
Fast forward to this year. Another young almost-reader struggling to find his book finds it again in Among the Hidden. His mother, grateful, promptly purchased a classroom set of all 7 books for my shelf. I was shocked, remember, I didn't know they existed. Hence how I came to read the entire series from start to finish and sit here writing this (incredibly wordy, my apologies) review.
This is a rare series. Once I hit the 3rd book I noticed something odd was happening, each of these books was better than the last. That is not a typo, although those of you familiar with most series will understand how rare that truly is. The books simply kept getting more intense, more agressive, and more poignant as they moved toward a strong stand against government corruption and the idea that power corrupts.
I was almost afraid to begin "Among the Free". Although the name implies it will end well for Luke and his friends, I was terrified with how it would be accomplished. The cover simply stated "fans of the series will not be dissapointed" and I cannot agree more. Haddix did not fall into the typical series endings. She chose to end on a beautiful note, one that would probably not work for any other series. Instead of ending her series with a happily-ever-after, Haddix stretched out infinite possibility and imagination. You'll have to read the series to see why this is effective.
All in all, I'm so very grateful that I have this amazing series in my classroom. There is a waiting list 4 preteens deep to check them out of my classroom shelves, and they are being returned to rave reviews. As a class we highly agree this series deserved 5 huge stars, and the kids claim I also need to include a tear for at least one spot in the series where "even you must have almost cried". Highly recommended from our classroom to yours!
November 26, 2020
This series was amazing. Reading these books almost felt like I WAS Luke, Trey, Matthias, or Nina, or that I had found their diary and was reading exactly how they felt in that moment. Imagining this was a real time where third children were not allowed to exist makes me feel compassion for the children. Among the Betrayed was the first book that changed the point of view from Luke to Nina, and Among the Brave changed it to Trey’s point of view. Among the enemy was the point of view of Matthias, and Among the Hidden, Among the Imposters, Among the Barons, and Among the Free were all in Luke Garner’s point of view. I really liked how this series ended, with the bad guys escaping, but Shadow Children were finally free.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2025
Now the Shadow Children series? That shit cracked open my existential angst era before I even hit puberty. Luke Garner had me clutching my invisible pearls under my school desk thinking, “what if I was the third child??” I’d read late at night with one eye on the page and one ear listening for the Population Police. I genuinely believed I was being watched. That level of paranoia shaped me into the spicy, suspicious queen I am today 💅 The thrill, the rebellion, the kids fighting The Man—god, it made me feel like I mattered. Like I wasn’t just a schoolgirl in a uniform, but someone who could rewrite fate.
March 3, 2023
It has been a long time since I read this series, okay? This series takes place in an America where we have a population crisis and the amount of children is strongly enforced. However, people do sometimes end up with secret children they must hide at all costs.
This series follows a third child born on a farm who lives a fairly 'normal' childhood. This all changes drastically when the land around them turns into a suburban neighborhood. This is very hard for him and while bored and locked away he notices something off with one of the houses, but what could it be?
This series follows a third child born on a farm who lives a fairly 'normal' childhood. This all changes drastically when the land around them turns into a suburban neighborhood. This is very hard for him and while bored and locked away he notices something off with one of the houses, but what could it be?
September 2, 2024
I read these books when I was in the 3rd or 4th grade and absolutely loved them. So much so that I shared them with my younger sister, which, due to learning disabilities hated reading (she needed a book for a report) she loved the first book so much she went on to read the series and became a reader after that. She just needed something worth reading to get her home. So many years later, I'm in my thirties and decided to read them again and still love them.
September 18, 2019
This book series made me feel scared and compassionate because I feel bad for him. It must have been scary having to hide from everyone. I liked the suspense and thrilling nature of the series. The action and suspense made me keep reading these books and I could not put them down. It must have been hard not having someone to trust and turn too.
July 19, 2017
These books are amazing! I can not get enough of the on the edge of your seat suspense and twists! I have read this series through a number of times and they never get old. This series is, by far my favorite, from this author. I highly recommend them.
August 20, 2018
A series a 7 books. My kids have all read these books at one time or another. I am reading along with Emric. They are well written. A good fast read! I especially loved the 1st one and the last 2 books of this series.
November 30, 2018
These books were my childhood and I loved them. The first one was the very first book that ever made me cry, and realize the power that books, literature, words have. I will always be grateful for this powerful series.
February 3, 2025
I read all of the books and I would do it again! It's kinda easy to predict what happens but there are a couple times where it takes you off guard and about to fly out of your seat. One of my most favorite adventure series so far!
May 11, 2017
Great story for 5th through 7th graders about totalitarian governments and concerns about over population and food shortages.
August 28, 2017
One of my favorite series ever! Such a great plot, characters and lots of thrilling scenes, suspense and things to make you FEEL! I'd read this over and over again!
August 15, 2018
T H O YOU G H T S:
this was a childhood favorite series with an edge.
this was a childhood favorite series with an edge.
January 19, 2019
This series is so good! I love the different characters and all the different things they go through to grow up.
Each book shows how one of the characters over comes their fear.
Each book shows how one of the characters over comes their fear.
January 27, 2019
Good plot/world creation. Well written. One of my favorite reads.
September 26, 2019
Loved this series!
January 3, 2020
Omfg I remember reading this in elementary, I rly went ham bingeing thru each and every book from this series... chefs kiss!!
April 4, 2020
Amazing 100 percent recommended
April 26, 2020
I’ve read all these before, own them...but I’m re-listening to them while walking these days. Loving them like it was the first time. Hate to turn it off at the end of my walk!!
June 7, 2020
This is an excellent series for Junior High students.
June 7, 2020
This is a great book
September 13, 2020
I loved these books as a young teen and even as a adult!
December 1, 2020
great series i would recommend this series to anyway
December 22, 2020
well it was ok but I liked the 1 book the best just because it was just more action for me and way cooler
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews