Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden
Author Margaret Peterson Haddix
Cover artist Cliff Nielsen
Country United States of America
Series Shadow Children sequence
Genre Young adult novel
Publisher Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing
Publication date
 March 1, 1998
Media type Print (hardcover) Print (paperback)
Pages 160 pp
ISBN 0-689-81700-2
OCLC 37588395
LC Class PZ7.H1164 Am 1998
Followed by Among the Impostors

Among the Hidden is a 1998 young adult novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix concerning a fictional future in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the first of seven novels in the Shadow Children series. In 2013 it was one of the ten most taught texts in United States' middle schools.[1]

Plot summary

In a dystopian future, after a shortage of food and overpopulation families are limited to two children.

Luke Garner, a twelve-year-old child, lives on a farm with his mother, father, and two brothers, Matthew and Mark. As a third child, Luke and his parents are in violation of the law. Luke, like all third children, must spend his days hidden or away from public view. When the government starts building houses in the woods behind the Garners' house, Luke is forced to hide inside his house, in total isolation from the outside world. In the beginning of the story, Luke is quite scared of being caught by the Population Police. But toward the end of the story, he becomes more brave and faces his fears about the Population Police.

While Luke is looking out of a vent from the attic, with which he can see outside, and not be seen from the outside, he sees the face of a girl in a window of a house that he knows already has two children. He secretly runs over to the house about a month later, and meets thirteen-year-old Jen Talbot, the daughter of one of the Barons living in the houses behind him and another third child. There, he becomes a close friend to Jen Talbot.

Jen begins to show Luke that what the government has done is wrong. She organizes a rally in support of the third children, and asks Luke to come, but Luke refuses, afraid of what might happen. After not hearing from Jen for one month, Luke crawls over to her house where he meets Jen's father, George Talbot, a Population Police official. Luke finds out that everyone at the rally was shot and killed, including Jen. Mr. Talbot explains to Luke that he opposes the Population Law. The Population Police then break in to Mr. Talbot's house and Luke hides in the closet.

After the police leave, Luke tries to scream, but Mr. Talbot covers his mouth. He writes on a piece of paper that the Population Police had placed bugs and are waiting for clues and evidence that can be used against Mr. Talbot and kill him. He then talks to Luke and asks if he wants a fake I.D to live like a normal person. Luke eventually accepts the proposal and receives the fake I.D. Mr. Talbot then meets Luke's parents to inform them of the situation and that Mr. Talbot has arranged for Luke to take the place of a boy named Lee, a boy of a rich family who died in an accident. Luke says goodbye as he is sent off to boarding school.

Awards & Reviews

The book received mostly positive reviews[2][3] but was criticized for its ending.[2] The book was also awarded as an American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults[4] and is included in Wilson's Middle & Junior High School Core Collection.

Bibliography

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden.

Notes

  1. ↑ Shannahan, Timothy (October 2013). "Common Core in the Schools: A First Look at Reading Assignments" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 "Among the Hidden". Horn Book Guide (Spring 1999).
  3. ↑ "Among the Hidden". Kirkus Reviews. 15 Jul 1998.
  4. ↑ "Among the Hidden Awards & Grants". ALA. Retrieved 8 June 2018.
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