Thursday, September 3, 2009

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix


This is a very moving book. Among the Hidden is a book about a time in the close future when our country became too poor. The president came up with a law that stated that families were only allowed to have two children per family. This way there would be enough food to go around so no one would starve. Even though this law was in place, there were still families that went a head and had more than two. Most only had one more, but a few had two extra. The children that were born after the first two were called shadow children. Mothers had to give birth to them in their homes as not to be found out. The family could never talk about their secret brother or sister and the shadow child could never leave home. In this book, the first in the series, the story focuses on a boy named Luke and his fight to freedom. Now, I know this sounds like a depressing book; sometimes it is. However, with the way that it is written, you get so wrapped up in the story that you don't notice the sadness. Instead you cheer him on as he crosses the field for the first time. You anticipate what will happen between him and Jen, and you grieve with him when he hears the news of her death. You feel for the character. Often I would find my self wondering what I would do in his situation, I don't have an answer. The book ends with Luke leaving home, under a fake I.D., to join an all boys school. A suspenseful ending that goes hand in hand with the rest of the book.

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