to Spread the Awesome!
Elana Johnson had the inspired idea to organize a one-day blog series where participating bloggers choose a book which they love, to promote by sharing its merits with the rest of you! Isn't she brilliant? I've chosen Among the Hidden, by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
"Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.
Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.
Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows--does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?"
I was introduced to Among the Hidden after my fourth grade daughter read it for her school library's Battle of the Books challenge. Sidney loved it, saying the characters were people she really cared about. She said the ending was "so good!" and couldn't wait for me to finish so we could talk about it. She only had to wait one day. I devoured this book!
Haddix's story is fast-paced and full of suspense. I was pulled into her world to contemplate what it would be like living in a society where free will was abolished, and cruel government policies trumped parental decision-making. The story spurred lengthy discussions, as Sidney and I talked about the possible consequences of over-population and depletion of natural resources, both within the context of the book and in our real lives. I reminded her that the book was purely fictional, but that the themes of restricted free will and strict government control were valid topics to consider.
We are both working our way through the rest of the seven book series. The titles of all the Shadow books are:
Among the Hidden
Among the Imposters
Among the Betrayed
Among the Barons
Among the Brave
Among the Enemy
Among the Free
Among the Hidden, as well as the other books in the Shadow series, is recommended for children in grades 5-8 (reading level 9-12).
It's contest time! There are seven books in Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow series. I'm giving away one new copy of Among the Hidden AND a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble, to get you started on the rest of the collection (or any another book of your choice!).