Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden

By Margaret Peterson Haddix

Genre: Science fiction

My rating: 3 1/2 stars

Summary: "Born third at a time when having more than two children per family is illegal and subject to seizure and punishment by the Population Police, Luke has spent all of his 12 years in hiding. His parents disobeyed once by having him and are determined not to do anything unlawful again. At first the woods around his family's farm are thick enough to conceal him when he plays and works outdoors, but when the government develops some of that land for housing, his world narrows to just the attic. Gazing through an air vent at new homes, he spies a child's face at a window after the family of four has already left for the day. Is it possible that he is not the only hidden child? Answering this question brings Luke greater danger than he has ever faced before, but also greater possibilities for some kind of life outside of the attic. This is a near future of shortages and deprivation where widespread famines have led to a totalitarian government that controls all aspects of its citizens' lives. When the boy secretly ventures outside the attic and meets the girl in the neighboring house, he learns that expressing divergent opinions openly can lead to tragedy. To what extent is he willing to defy the government in order to have a life worth living?"

Taken from Amazon.com

Ok, so since this is such a quick read (I read this book in a few hours) I'll make it a short review:

The premise is so unsettling (remind you of China anyone?) that I was hooked.  It does have a few plot twists too, to keep you plowing through those pages.

The only real problem I had with this story was the ending. The ending was a little violent and seemed abrupt, but that could be because it's the first book in the Shadow Children series.
Oh, and there wasn't a whole lot of character development.  But maybe there'll be more in the following books.

Overall?  A fun, thought-provoking, quick read.