In the third installment of the Shadow Children series, Margaret Peterson Haddix shifts gears in the futuristic society where families are only allowed to have two children, and any others are deemed illegal, not recognized and sentenced to death if found. The first two books focused on Luke Garner, but this third book looks at Luke's friend, Nina Idi. This is Nina's story.
Plot
At the end of the previous novel, Nina Idi is arrested along with Jason Barstow for being illegal third children. However, unlike Jason, Nina was not a betrayer of her fellow third children. She gets thrown into a Population Police jail cell with three other small children - the Population Police are willing to make her a deal. If she can get the three children to admit to being the third children they are suspected to be, Nina's life may be spared.
As Nina begins to befriend these three children, she realizes that she could never betray them. Instead, she begins stealing food for them when she goes in to report to a Population Police officer. Nina and the children manage to escape, but they are now not only illegal third children with no fake IDs, but also fugitives of the law! As the four try to make it out on their own, they encounter a number of familiar characters to fans of the series, and the adventure brings them right back where the nightmare started for Nina: Harlow School for Girls. Here she will either find help for her and her three friends, or even more deception that got her into this mess in the first place.
Characters
Nina Idi - third child who is asked to be a Population Police agent
Matthias - one of the children in the jail with Nina
Percy - one of the children in the jail with Nina
Alia - one of the children in the jail with Nina
Luke Garner - third child under the alias of Lee Grant who tries to help Nina
Mr. Hendricks - headmaster of the Hendricks' School for Boys
Mr. Talbot - member of the Population Police who is a friend and help to third children
About the Author
Margaret Peterson Haddix has written a number of books for young adults, including Running Out of Time, one of her most popular and successful adventure books. She is still writing YA fiction, although the Shadow Children series is done, after completion of the 7th and final book in the series, Among the Free. The next book in the Shadow Children series is Among the Barons.
