Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Fantasy - A Review of AMONG THE HIDDEN


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2002. AMONG THE HIDDEN. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0689817002

2. PLOT SUMMARY
Luke has been hiding for his whole life. He’s never met another person outside his father, mother, and two brothers because no one knows he exists, not even his grandparents. Luke is a “shadow child.” He is the third child in a society that only allows families to have two children each. The penalties for having more than two children are severe, so Luke has learned to stay hidden. One day he notices a face in a window in the house across from his - a girl’s face in a house where two other boys already live. Suddenly Luke realizes he isn’t the only child in the world who is hiding. As he peers day after day through the vent in his attic bedroom, hoping to see the face again, he begins to hatch a plan for making contact with the person who is home alone all day just as he is. When he finally makes that contact and meets Jen, a whole new world opens up to Luke. Jen has access to the internet and TV, and she has made contact with what she believes are about 800 other shadow children. Jen has a plan to hold a rally in front of the president’s house. Surely with 800 third and fourth children, the government will have to acknowledge them and change its laws. Now Luke must decide if he will join her and the other shadow children, and he’s not sure he has the courage to do it. The results of the rally send events spiraling in an unexpected direction, and the future for Luke and other shadow children is suddenly in jeopardy.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Luke is a fairly ordinary boy who lives in extraordinary circumstances. This novel describes Luke in a way that makes it impossible not to ponder what it would be like to have to hide from everyone - forever. The plot gradually reveals what life is like from Luke’s perspective, and as the hopelessness of his fate sinks in with Luke, it likewise makes an impact on the reader. The setting feels like America sometime in the not-so-distant future; a world-wide famine has created a panic about the food supply which has caused many changes in the laws, including restrictions on family size. The Population Police is an ever-present force, and the government has created two classes - the working class barely able to keep their heads above water financially (by design of the government, unbeknownst to them), and the wealthy class known as the Barons. Readers will be struck by the unfairness of the situation, by the manipulation of the government, and by the negative consequences for both classes. Readers will find themselves hoping, maybe against hope, that Jen will succeed, and when the rally is over, sadness and rage will mingle in a “how could they do that?” which will linger in the mind for quite a while.

The science fiction “big brother” aspect of this novel may appeal to readers who do not like created worlds and creatures of high fantasy, but would rather ponder what life might be like under different circumstances where technology facilitates an evil sociological entity. Don’t expect a happy ending. Among the Hidden has an intense feeling that lasts all the way to the end and leaves the reader hanging somewhat. But the story is not over at the end of this book. This novel is one of seven in the series written by Haddix. The characters are intertwined through the stories. Readers who like characters in one novel will be happy to discover that they reappear in others. Double agents, secrets, daring risks and courageous children keep this story and the series engaging and exciting. Could our world really change like the one in this story? How far are we willing to go to stand up for what is right? How brave are we? This novel creates many questions that are interesting, if a little frightening, to ponder.

4. REVIEW EXCERPTS
* Kirkus: “In a chilling and intelligent novel, Haddix (Leaving Fishers, 1997, etc.) envisions a near future where a totalitarian US limits families to only two children. . . . these pages will give readers a new appreciation for their own world after a visit to Luke's.”
*The ALAN Review: “Although the denouement is swift and tidy, the fully realized setting, honest characters, and fast paced plot combine for a suspenseful tale of two youngsters fighting for their very existence.”
*VOYA: “This is an easily understood, younger reader's 1984 or Brave New World, presenting a chilling vision of a possibly not-too-distant future.”

5. CONNECTIONS
*Research a totalitarian government. What are countries like where a totalitarian government has existed? How far away are we from having to worry about being in a totalitarian society? Could it happen? What might cause it to happen?
*Create a shadow children network newspaper. (Teachers who have access to Moodle, Publisher, or other appropriate software might want to actually do this online). Students can imagine they are shadow children in contact with other shadow children online and write articles that would demonstrate what it would be like to live in this type of society.
*Students could create a diary written by Luke or Jen, but what might be even more interesting would be to write the diary from the perspective of Matthew or Mark, Luke’s older brothers. What might their life be like because of living with a hidden third child?

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