Among the Hidden

Shadow Children ( eng. Orig: Among the Hidden ) is a 1998 published novel by the American author Margaret Peterson Haddix and deals with the twelve year old Luke, who is a so-called shadow child. The novel is set in a fictional time in which it is the government forbidden women to have more than two children. This is monitored by the so-called population police.

The youth book was first published in March 1998 in the U.S. Publisher Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. In the competition for the "Book darlings 2006" shadow children was in the 12 - to 14 -year-olds, the most popular book.

Action

Luke Garner is the third son of a farmer's family, living in a society where you can only have a maximum of two children per family. Therefore he lives hiding the first 12 years of his life. His family lives in the countryside, near a forest. As it is, however, cleared to build houses for government members and other financially well-off families ( " lords " ), Luke allowed for fear of discovery do not need to go out, not in the backyard, or even near a window. He must from this point throughout the day when his older brothers Matthew and Mark and the parents ( and Edna Harlan ) are out to spend in the attic, just so he exposes himself to no risk. Even when eating he must not sit with the family at the table, but sitting on the stairs, which is not visible from the window.

One day he observed once again secretly by a fan opening in his room ( in the attic ) is located, as all the neighbors, like every day, leave at nine clock their homes. He spotted this short a girl face behind a window at the house next door. After some time he dares careful to sneak into the house because he suspects that the child is living in secret child also, especially as the family, at least officially only a couple and two teenage boys seem to exist. This clandestine penetration changed into someone's house and the encounter with the self-confident Jen Talbot, what he does not know at this time, his entire life. Jen is in touch via internet with other shadow children and organized a demonstration, to which Luke to come along. This, however, has too afraid to participate and refuses. This saves his life, since the demonstration by the population police will break up and Jen thereby lost their lives.

For Luke the whole affair ends for the moment well, as he is given a new identity with the help of Jen's father, a high government official who has been working as a double agent. He gets the papers in an accident in a skiing accident boys, the elder of two sons of a " Baron " family and leaves his own family in a hopefully better future.

Critics votes

" Haddix also provides a lesson about those who marginalize others, take them the right to self-determination and not realizing how deeply they hurt. [ ... ] A very readable and at the same oppressive book about a society that devours its own children. "

" Breathless and anxious to read the thrilling novel to end. The global population statistics should then prefer not to study so closely. "

' Haddix delivers plenty of power to fascinate its readers so that her book will be passed. "

" A gripping and intelligent novel. "

Expenditure

  • Shadow Children, Volume 1, dtv ( August 2002), ISBN 342370635X

Continuations

  • Shadow Children - Under traitors, Volume 2, dtv (April 2003), ISBN 3423707704
  • Shadow Children - The dupes, Volume 3, dtv (July 2003), ISBN 3423707887
  • Shadow children - In the world of barons, Volume 4, dtv (March 2005), ISBN 3423709073
  • Shadow children - In the center of power, Volume 5, dtv (February 2006), ISBN 3423709847
  • Shadow children - Dangerous freedom, Volume 6, dtv (December 2006), ISBN 3423712007
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