Rating: 
Summary: Failed "social" sci-fi that underestimates overpopulation
Review: I read this book as part of a graduate children's literature course, and found it to be (to me) offensively bad on two counts. First, I read a lot of science fiction, including "social" science fiction that speculates about the future of society rather than focusing on techology. This book makes a classic mistake: it changes one major thing in society yet "freezes" everything else where it is now, which is entirely unbelievable.In this book, we are told that the main character was born a few years AFTER the population laws in the U.S. went into effect. The character is in his early teens. That means that assuming the laws got passed tomorrow, this book takes place some 15-20 years in the future. Yet the characters are still using Internet chat rooms in which they painstakingly type their messages to each other. Does anyone really believe we'll still be using this clumsy method, as opposed to virtual reality or a voice interface, 20 years from now? The book also has the same suburban shopping malls we have today, and the same housing developments of McMansions. Science fiction editors would have laughed this story right back to the author. I think she only got away with it because she's dealing with a publisher/editor who knows nothing about science fiction and the fact that it needs to be believeable to be effective. Just because it's written for young adults or children doesn't mean the author can get away with being lazy. Secondly, and worse, the book implies that ANY type of population control can ONLY be an evil plot by a corrupt government. We find out that the government faked reports of impending starvation in order to impose the overpopulation laws. Therefore, the government is wrong and the "third" children are unfairly oppressed. I agree with the author that unauthorized children should not be punished under population laws (rather the parents who break the laws should be punished), but this book gives the impression that anyone expressing concerns about overpopulation, and suggesting that SOME kind of control will eventually be necessary, is an alarmist or corrupt or both. Most Americans simply will not acknowledge that the world is overpopulated, or will acknowledge it but say "it's not a problem here." Meanwhile, many of them continue to have more than two children, all the while complaining about how traffic has increased and areas have been overdeveloped. Therefore, the book gives the impression that overpopulation is not really occuring in this country or in the world, which in my opinion is exactly the wrong message to give.
Rating: 
Summary: SUBJECT MATTER NOT FOR KIDS UNDER 13 yrs.
Review: This book was very well written and keeps you hooked. However, I was totally appalled at the subject matter in this book that was assigned to my 10 year old to read for school. They warn us continually to watch what we allow our children to watch on TV and see in other media, yet they turned around and assigned a book that at first looked innocent enough. The way it ended however left my son crying for over an hour until he fell asleep, worried that he may be taken from his family or killed. It is NOT the kind of book I ever would have allowed him to read had I known ahead of time how violent and callous it was. It has members of the government literally shooting children in cold blood, simply because their parents broke the 2 child limit law. It is subject matter appropriate for discussion at a high school level. It is NOT appropriate for younger children. It was presented to us as being part of a science fiction unit for the 5th grade literature class. In my opinion it has nothing to do with science fiction, it is a pure horror book and too violent for sensitive 10 year olds.
Rating: 
Summary: Among the Hidden
Review: Margaret Peterson Haddix's Among the hidden has truly amazing conflicts and characters. In a futureistic life Luke's family is extreemly different. At this time, families were allowed only two children. Luke's family is different beecause his family has three. Luke is the third child. If somebody were to find out this Luke could be sent to a children's home, taken away from his parents, or even killed. So Luke and his family need to make sure that nobody finds out. Other than that, a various amount of things happen in this book, which make ti so exciteing. This is one of those books that you would call an attention grabber. Over all this book is wonderful, it gives great details, and has and imaginative style. This book is reccomended for ages 12 and up.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the top twenty books!
Review: When I picked up this book, I couldn't put it down! It was like a glass filling up with water...each page you'd think it couldn't get any better, but it did! It's got lots of ups and downs and twists and turns! Margaret Peterson Haddix has a real talent for writing! She really knows her stuff! If you want to find a really good book, try one of the Shadow Children Sequence!
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Summary: Parents Beware!
Review: I just finished reading this book, as I do most books that I consider including in my kids' reading lists. On the back cover of the book, it says that it is intended for ages 8-12. I also hear that this book is being used in public schools for middle school aged kids. I would agree that the vocabulary and grammar used are simple enough for these ages, but I think it's wrong to offer this subject to this age group. The topic of the third shadow child who lives in the future, hidding, and finally connects with another one like himself is one part of the story. I was interested in it and so decided to give it a try. The book inspires hatred for the government, which has become tyranical to the extreme. The children blatantly disobey their parents and risk all of their lives, but the author makes it look like this is not wrong. I will certainly not include this book in our children's reading list. There are other books set in the future which offer similar subjects, such as "The Giver," and are better written. I have taught middle schoolers in public and private schools and would say that most kids this age do not have the understanding or discernment to deal with this subject matter. I am happy to say that I first borrowed a copy from our library before spending the money on it!
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Book A Must Read
Review: Among the Hidden by Margaret Haddix is about this third child name Luke. He never had a birthday, he never had a sleep-over, in fact he never had any friends. The problem was that he was a shadow child, a third child. There is one big law the whole world must follow, you can only have up to two kids.
Before Luke could play all he wanted outside, untill the government tore down the forset in the back yard to build houses. Luke is forced to hid in the attic so the construction workers or anyone else accidently sees Luke.
One day while Luke looks through a vent in the attic, he spots someone in a house, in the middle of the day. Luke knows that that house already has two kids and they are at school, and none of the parents are there either. At first he thinks it's just a burgeler. But Luke's curiosity gets the best of him and he decides to investigate the house.
When he get their he learns that a shadow child lives there to. Her name is Jen. But she is different compared to Luke. Jen even started her own chatroom where all the shadow kids from around the world join and talk to each other. He later learns that Jen and the rest of the shadow kids plan to march up to the White House and protest so that the government would change the law. When Jen asks Luke if he wants to join? Something inside him told him not to go. A month passes and still no sign of Jen, Luke starts to worry. What happened to Jen? Is she alright? I liked this book a lot. It is a futuristic book with kind of a present time peroid twist. The twist is that in China, there is a similar law, but it only allows familys to have one child. The difference of China's law and the book's law, is that in the book, the government made this law so there wouldn't be a food shortage in the future. But China's resoning for this law is that thier population is huge. I think the main reson of this book was to make people see the world in the "other people's" way. And also for us to regonize what's going on in China. I recommend this book for ages 7-15, and people that like realistic fiction. I recommend it for ages 7 to 15 since kids should start to learn what's going on in the world, and older kids should read these books because they make you think a lot. And it's interesting even for a 15 year old.
Rating:
Summary: Among The Hidden
Review: Among The Hidden is about a kid named Luke who lives in a place that has a law, that you can only have up to two kids. Luke is one of the third kids that have to hid their whole life. One day Luke notices that their is a third child in thier nieghbors house. He visit the third child and learns that she is a leader of a coup that wants to be free.
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Summary: Best book
Review: Among the hidden Aladdin Paperbacks, 1998, 153 pp., $4.99
Margaret Peterson Haddix ISBN 0689824750 Among The Hidden is about Luke, a third child, Which is illegal. He lives in the attic in his house and can't come down. He must remain hidden. Luke finds a girl named Jen, another third child. Later he gets a risk for freedom. Will he take a such a risk?
I liked the book because it's mystery, because you don't know what will happen or how it will end. I recommend this book for kids that like mystery and life of other kids. I really liked this book and I hope you read it and like it too. You can also read Among the impostors and Among the Betrayed to see what happens to Luke next! Erika M., Grade 6
Bales Intermediate, Friendswood, Texas
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT!!
Review: I think Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix is one of the best books, I've ever read! I found it in my teacher's library and I picked it up and my teacher said Its the best book! I guess, I'd agree with her on that one. We had to do book reports and we were to read the book we chose in 3 weeks. In 3 weeks, I finished the 3rd book of the Shadow Children Sequence, so this book is EXCELLENT
Rating:
Summary: among the hidden
Review: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix relates to the views of futuristic life. It is based on how a young boy name Luke cannot be talked about, seen about, and has to hide from every one. This is a rule enforced by the population police, where couples can only have 2 children. Any other children are called "shadows" One day the unexpected happens, Lukes sees a young girl through a window across the street when everyone else is at work... he finally found another shadow. Jen. Who will do anything to escape being just a lonely shadow. Will Luke help and follow in her footsteps? I think that Haddix wrote this book because she was expressing that fact that she wants everyone to appreciate the fact that life is so good right now. People don't appreciate what they have...and they should. In the future things could turn out something like this book where people can only ahve 2 children. Is that really what everyone wants? Do people want to be hidden and called shadows? I think that this book is for anyone. I think that this is deffiently a "thumbs up" book. It keeps you hanging on the edge through out the entire book. Don't take your eye off this book for a second.
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