LS 5623 Among the Hidden

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. Among the Hidden. Aladdin Paperbacks, New York, 2000.

ISBN: 0-689-82475-0

Luke Garner is a twelve year old forbidden third child living in a totalitarian United States where the Government rules all. His only freedom for all of his life was the yard around his farmhouse. Now that small bit of freedom has been taken away because the Government has bought the woods surrounding his house to build a housing development for the Barons, ultra rich people. Too soon, Luke has to stay in the windowless attic where he can see small parts of the yard through vents on the roof. When Luke questions his new restrictiveness, his Father tells him, “the Government wanted it. You can’t tell the Government no.” To his surprise, he discovers another hidden child living in one of the Baron’s houses while peeking through the vents. He surreptitiously begins visiting this child, Jen, at great cost to himself and his new friend. Jen has an idea, a revolution, for all third children to stage a demonstration and demand to be a part of society, not hidden away. This action results in events that not many believe the Government had the nerve to do.

What happens to Jen, and all the other third children at the rally, make Luke take a second look at his situation. He makes a mature decision that is beneficial to his family but not necessarily to him.

In this dystopian story of government run amok, Luke's story is but one of many -- as readers are lead to believe that since pregnancy is frowned upon in his society and any expectant mothers rarely leave their houses, a third child (or fourth . . . ) is not as unheard of as Luke's family makes it out to be. In fact, Jen has contact with many through the internet. It would be an interesting exercise for teens that may third or later children to imagine what would happen if they suddenly became an illegal citizen, since it is never explicitly explained in the book what happened to them when they law was enacted. Would they be sort of content to hide, like Luke? Or, would they become proactive about their situation, like Jen?

The July 1998 editon of Kirkus Reviews state: “Haddix offers much for discussion here, by presenting a world not too different from 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.” Readers’ that enjoyed this book will probably find the five sequels in the Shadow Children’s sequence just as thought provoking.