AMONG THE HIDDEN by Margaret Haddix

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. New York, NY: Aladdin Paperbacks, 2000. ISBN 0689824750

PLOT SUMMARY

Luke lives on a farm with his two older brothers and his parents. He leads a relatively normal life with one exception. Luke is an "shadow child." Born in a society which only allows two children per family, Luke does not exist outside the boundaries of the farm. When the woods surrounding the farm house are sold by government order and the trees are bulldozed to allow for a new housing development, Luke is forced to stay inside all of the time. With the loss of income caused by selling the land, Luke's mother is forced to change her lifestyle as well and go to work. Luke is now left on his own throughout the long days his family goes about leading their normal lives.

On one of these solitary days, Luke notices, from his vantage point in the attic room in which he is confined, the curtains in one of the new houses move slightly aside. Luke is sure he is not the only "shadow child" in the neighborhood. He decides to take a risk and venture out in the open to investigate what he has seen and discovers Jen, another illegal third child.

Unlike Luke, Jen is much more knowledgeable of the world in which they live and of the existence of many other third children. Jen is an activist and organizes the network of "shadow children" she has developed through the use of the Internet, to unite and demand their right to be recognized as members of this "dystopian" society. Can Luke find courage to come out of the shadows and become a part of a society which denies his very existence?

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Margaret Peterson Haddix displays once again her ability to weave together a story of society versus the individual in Among the Hidden. Young adult readers will enjoy allowing their minds to consider a society different from their own, yet very realistic to societies in other areas of the world which regulate population through law. While the story seems to progress without much of the unexpected, the ending will not fail to disappoint the reader leaving one feeling satisfied with the journey, yet full of questions and conflicts. The book is a good read for the "Tween" audience, but too simplistic for the more mature reader.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

Publishers Weekly (February 7, 2000) "The plot development is sometimes implausible and the characterizations a bit brittle, but the unsettling, thought-provoking premise should suffice to keep readers hooked."

School Library Journal (September 1, 1998) "As in Haddix's Running Out of Time (S & S, 1995), the loss of free will is the fundamental theme of an exciting and compelling story of one young person defying authority and the odds to make a difference. Readers will be captivated by Luke's predicament and his reactions to it."

Kirkus Reviews(July 1, 1998) "Haddix offers much for discussion here, by presenting a world not too different fro m America right now. The seizing of farmlands, untenable food regulations, and other scenarios that have come to fruition in these pages will give readers a new appreciation for their own world after a visit to Luke's."