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    Among the Hidden
    Among the Hidden
    Among the Hidden
    Audiobook3 hours

    Among the Hidden

    Written by Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Narrated by Jonathan Davis

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    At a time in the future, when having more than two children is illegal, 12-year-old Luke Garner is third born, a shadow child—his very existence punishable by death.

    He spends his whole life hiding and knows only his immediate family and their small farm.

    When a new housing development is built near his family’s home, Luke is forced into even greater secrecy, spending days and nights in his attic room. But after catching a glimpse of someone in one of the new houses, Luke is sure he’s found another third child.
    When he discovers Jen, as bold as Luke is timid, she makes Luke imagine a life of freedom. But at what cost?

    Among the Hidden, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults and a classroom favorite, is Margaret Peterson Haddix’s outstanding novel for middle readers.

    “ ... the unsettling, thought-provoking premise should suffice to keep [listeners] hooked.”—Publishers Weekly
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateNov 28, 2008
    ISBN9781436178877
    Author

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

    Margaret Peterson Haddix grew up on a farm in Ohio. As a kid, she knew two girls who had the exact same first, middle, and last names and shared the same birthday—only one year apart—and she always thought that was bizarre. As an adult, Haddix worked as a newspaper reporter and copy editor in Indiana before her first book, Running Out of Time, was published. She has since written more than forty books for kids and teens, including the Greystone Secrets series, the Shadow Children series, the Missing series, the Children of Exile series, and lots of stand-alones. Haddix and her husband, Doug, now live in Columbus, Ohio, where they raised their two kids. You can learn more about her at haddixbooks.com.

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    Reviews for Among the Hidden

    4.5/5

    152 ratings77 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This is a great series of books for children. This book is a chapter book that is easy to read. Children would enjoy this book because it is very entertaining. Each chapter keeps you guessing. It would be a good idea to read it together as a class and discuss each chapter in detail. The children will probably want to read the other books that are part of the series.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      I’ve heard about this book and I’m only upset I didn’t read it a long time ago. The thing is, it’s even more relevant today than when it was written.
    • 5/5
      Age: Middle SchoolMedia: NoneThe genre of this book is science fiction. It is a science fiction book because it takes place in a world that does not exist, but it involves normal people. The book takes place in a society where there can only be two children per family. The main character of this book is Luke. Luke is the third child in the family, and he is a deep character because we learn more and more about him throughout the book. We feel his emotions in the story. The theme of this book is to stand up for what you believe in and never get scared of living your life. Luke eventually realizes that he can live the way he wants to. He also knows that he must stand up against the population police.
    • 4/5
      Food scarce, an oppressive government , and laws limiting the number of children in a family to 2, leaves our main character hiding in his parents house. Very quick read. Very suspenseful. The first in a large series. Great for the reluctant reader.
    • 5/5
      This is a book about a third child who is illegal. In this age in time the population police regulates the population so you can only have 2 kids. Luke being the the third child has to hide because if he is found then he will be killed. I would recomend this book to kids 10 and over. This book would be great for anyone who likes suspense and great book!
    • 5/5
      Among the Hidden is an extremely well written book. A great story that you just can't put down. Luke is a third child. He can't go outside and he can't go to school. In fact, he can't let anybody other than his family see him. This is because of the population law the government has put in. It states that a family can only have up to two kids. The purpose of the Population Law is to limit the food being used. And if the Population Police find you, they execute the third child. But when Luke discovers another third child like him, he wants the population law ended. The other third child has a very different plan to get freedom than him, though. We'll he go with his friend, or will he split up with her?! Read to find out.
    • 4/5
      If you like books that are filled with mystery, then I am sure you would enjoy this book!!!
    • 5/5
      This is a great story. I read this book in 2 days. I thought this story was a great story and I can't wait to read the other books in the series. I think this author does a great job of getting you hooked into the book.
    • 3/5
      Interesting idea for a book. I found myself really caught up in it. Very fast read and made me want to continue the story to find out what happens next.
    • 4/5
      I had to read the Among the Hidden for a novel study at school. I thought it was going to be another boring novel study... But it wasn't. It was such a good book, that after the novel study was done, I read all the other books in the series. So did most of my other classmates. I recommend this book to everyone. 
    • 4/5
      Government law requires each family to have two children and when some families have a third, they become the hidden children. One brave child tries to lead them to freedom.
    • 4/5
      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 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. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows...
    • 5/5
      In Luke's world, families are only allowed two children and Luke is a third. If the authorities catch him, it would mean death for him and severe punishment for his family. He has never gone to school or been farther than his back yard. He believes he is the only one of his kind until one day he spies a face in a neighbor's window. This book is excellent for reluctant readers. It is the first in the Shadow Children Series.
    • 5/5
      After a worldwide famine, a population law is enacted in America. Only two children are allowed per couple, any other children are counted as illegal, or shadow children.12-year Luke is a shadow child, he has lived his entire life on his family's farm hidden from the neighbors and the population police. He and his family live in fear every day of someone finding him. When a housing development is built behind his property, Luke loses the last freedom that he has, as he is forced to stay in his house or risk discovery.A few weeks after the development is built Luke sees, somebody else inside one of the houses, and all the neighbors are gone. Eventually Luke takes a chance a discovers another shadow child, Jennifer Talbot. Jen is excited to meet Luke, and shows him a network she has developed to communicate with other shadow children, and organize a protest against the population law. Luke is excited to meet Jen, but intially disbelives that Jen will actually follow-thru. When Luke finally realizes that Jen plans to have the protest and risk her life and the lives of several other shadow children, he is forced to make a decison. In the end both Jen and Luke's decisions have far reaching impact and change their family and their lives forever.This book is definitely thought-provoking and provides a excellent opportunity for discussion on population control and the extent of a government's involvement in it's citizen's lives. Age Groups: 11 and olderContent: references to children being executed, references to children being imprisoned
    • 4/5
      This was a short but enjoyable read. I liked Haddix's idea with her futuristic world set up and the idea of shadow children. Shadow children are typically the third (or any child after the second one for that matter seeing as their was a fourth) child born to a family. In this future society, third children are illegal and if found by the Population Police, who are in charge of keeping this in check, they will be killed.Luke is the shadow child of a farming family. He lives upstairs in the attic and is not, under any circumstances, allowed outside. He's frustrated with this life he's leading but when he sees the face of another shadow child one day in one of the neighboring houses, he does the unthinkable. He leaves his house and breaks into the other child's house to confront them. When he meets Jen, he's thrown off by her take-charge actions and sarcastic influence. She's completely different than anybody he's ever met, and when she tells him her plan to rally against the goverment for shadow children's rights, he becomes concerned. Luke wants his freedom but knows this isn't a good idea. Nobody expected what happened next...I wished that Haddix had maybe elaborated on the futuristic world a bit more and further developed Luke's and Jen's friendship. However, the story was a very vivid and scary look at what the world could be like years from now if the population was monitored and kept in check. I can't wait to see what happens with Luke in the next book :)
    • 4/5
      Very quick dystopian read about tween Luke, a third child, who must live hidden away because the government restricts families to no more than two children. Luke is pretty satisfied on the family farm until the government takes the land around the farm and builds luxury housing. Now Luke can no longer go outside at all, or even sit in the kitchen to eat with his family. Peeking through the attic vents one day he notices the house across the yard has a secret face peering back out. Lonely and tired of months indoors alone, he ventures to see if there could possibly be another hidden child right next door--and discovers he is less alone than he ever imagined. Interesting and well written story.
    • 5/5
      One of my favorite books- I can't wait to read the rest. This is probably, besides The Giver, the only fantasy book I have ever liked. It is about a family living in a society that is only allowed to have 2 children. More than that and they must stay hidden otherwise the punishment is great. There life is very different from their siblings. The main character Luke soon discovers that there are others hidden just like him.
    • 5/5
      This book was a one-day non-stop read because I had to know what was going to happen to this little boy who the government deems illegal. He has spent his whole life either hiding in the house or hiding in the backyard until one day the yard is overrun with construction workers. Now his life will be forever in the attic. You are taken through his ups and downs want the Plan to work as much as anyone. It is a must read.
    • 5/5
      First book in the series. Excellent story!
    • 5/5
      The setting in the book only lets to have two children in a family, and Luke is the third child in the family. He never had a friend before, and never had a birthday party. One day, Luke sees a girl's face in a house where he already knows there is two children living there. Luke Finally found another shadow child Jen. Jen plans a dangerous plan, will Luke get involved in it?
    • 3/5
      At first I thought the book was boring, but the more I see how it relates to human rights and imagines such a vivid and bleak future with a population law the more I like it. Now, I'm reading the rest of the series.
    • 4/5
      Among the hidden was a very good book. Always interesting and never boring! i always wanted to read more and never stop.
    • 5/5
      LOVE this series! Hidden third children, government cover-ups and suspense at every turn! Who should the children trust? Can they trust one another? This series is thoughtful, mature and wonderfully written. Each novel in the series, holds its own, leaving the reader desperate for the next book. I encourage my students to read this series each year, as they are such wonderful pieces of writing!
    • 4/5
      Nice story about the boy who is illegal to be alive.
    • 5/5
      I must say Margaret Peterson Haddix is quite good at this one. I found it really interesting to read, and it's really sensible. It may be a book for the young audiences, but the truthfulness it shows about life and the government is something that a lot of adults can relate to (and agree with). Wonderful.
    • 4/5
      I loved this story. Very original and well written story about a young boy who is not supposed to even exist. You see, he is a 3rd son in a time and place where 3rd children are not allowed. His life goes through some exciting changes in this, the first of the shadow children series.
    • 5/5
      This was a really good book. I really liked this book because, it was very good and it had a lot of detail. This is a book about where the government controls everything. And they said you can only have 2 children and its Luke,Matthew,and Mark and Luike is allegal in the US.And if the government finds Luke they are most likely to kill him because he is illegal in the US. So to find out what happens to him you will have to read Among The Hidden.
    • 3/5
      Grades 4-7--
      As some of the younger Hunger Games fans look for other tales of dystopian societies, this story which introduces Luke and other "shadow children" will fit the bill and offer a lot of possibilities around conversations. An intriguing look at an America that's similar enough to our own to be pretty darned chilling.
    • 4/5
      What happens when you're the third child in a society that only allows two children? This book follows the life of one of these 'shadow children' in a society where the government has control of almost everything.

      I enjoyed this book quite a bit. The tone was so bleak, yet the hopefulness of a child shone through the despair.

      I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys dystopian fiction.
    • 5/5
      Among the Hidden is a book about a young boy. In the book, he is a third child. At the time, where they lived, a third child was illegal. Because of this he had to hide in his attic for practically his whole life. I think Among the Hidden was a great book because the storyline was good, and it was a fun book to read. Some parts are even a little frightening to read. I think this was a great book.