In the second installment of the Shadow Children series, Margaret Peterson Haddix continues 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 book showed us Luke Garner's story of being hidden. This book shows the readers how he lives in the real world.
Among the Imposters: Plot
Luke Garner has been given an out - his friend and inside person with the Population Police has given him a fake ID, so he is no longer Luke Garner to the rest of the world: he is Lee Grant. Mr. Talbot gets Luke a spot at the Hendrick's School for Boys, but Luke has a terrible time adjusting. Soon, he starts making secret escapes out into the woods, just to get out fo the confining buildling. He starts to build a garden but gets upset, and a little curious, when he often comes back to his "secret" spot to find it trampled.
Eventually he learns that there are a group of boys from Hendricks and girls from the neighboring Harlow School for Girls who are meeting up in the woods and, by the sounds of their conversations, they seem to be hiding something - something sounding very familiar to Luke.
Luke soon finds out that these are third children too, led by one of the older boys at Hendricks', Jason. However, as time goes on and meetings progress, Jason starts to make Luke feel more and more uneasy. And as the book picks up speed near the climax Luke has a very serious, and very important choice to make.
Characters
Luke Garner/Lee Grant - third child who attends Hendricks School for Boys under an alias
Jason Barstow - another student at Hendricks, the leader of the kids in the woods
Trey - Hendricks student who meets in the woods
Joel - Hendricks student who meets in the woods
John - Hendricks student who meets i nthe woods
Nina Idi - Harlow School for Girls student who meets in the woods
Mr. Hendricks - the mysterious yet kind headmaster of the school for boys
Mr. Talbot - friend of Luke's who works for the population police.
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 Betrayed.
