I just finished up Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This is the first book in the Shadow Children series. Haddix's other series, the Missing, was a huge hit in my classroom this year so I wanted to give this series a go. I found it to be interesting, dark, and potentially a bit over some of my kids' heads with the content.What's it about? Luke is the third child in his family. Normally that wouldn't be a problem, but the country is in totalitarian post-crisis state. In years prior, famine had spread throughout the country causing the rise a military dictator. He instituted population laws, stating that families could only have two children. The third child, if found, could be taken away and the family would be in significant trouble. Luke is a shadow child- he is destined to never see the outside world.
Luke struggles with this, angry for much of the book, until he realizes that there are other third children. One lives nearby, and he sneaks out to meet her. She introduces Luke to things he has never seen- computers, junk food, etc (all because the government has banned many of these things). She dreams of being free which inspires Luke. But this is a tricky, tricky matter putting Luke's (and Jen's) family in danger.
Long story short: I had this in the classroom this year after mid-year. The kids who liked Found and Sent enjoyed this book. Some put the book down, which I believe was connected to the content. The book deals with a dystopian landscape, not unlike that in the Hunger Games. Overpopulation and famine are issues. Issues of food quality and government restriction exist as well. While they are questions raised today, I wonder whether some of my kids will have the schema to really put the puzzle pieces together (and the stones throw from realism in the story).
Rating: Three out of five stars (I know, the rating is new... but I want to get in the habit of doing this since I will ask my kids to do this in the fall).
Next up: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
No comments:
Post a Comment