AMONG THE IMPOSTORS

The unsettling, futuristic totalitarian society created in Among the Hidden (1998) continues in this equally compelling sequel. Having decided in the first novel to leave his family to attend school in the outside world, Luke Garner, an illegal third child in a world where food is scarce and only two children are accepted, begins this story with his arrival at a private boys’ school for elite “Barons.” With a fake ID obtained by a mole in the Population Police, Luke assumes the name Lee Grant. Although the story starts off slowly, the suspenseful plot picks up rapidly as Luke tries to blend in and adjusts to his new life away from his family and among strangers. He is quick to notice the odd behavior of the other boys and the strange arrangement of the school itself; he soon discovers that other “shadow” children like him attend the school and crashes one of their secret meetings. The height of the story reveals Population Police undercover agents disguised as students and Luke’s attempt to save himself and the other shadow children. Luke is exposed to the truth behind the school and the adults who help run it, and must ultimately make another life decision. Thought-provoking issues, such as a government with too much power, raised in the first novel, as well as Luke’s determination to change the world, carry on throughout this impressive sequel. In the end, Haddix leaves readers longing for more about Luke Garner. (Fiction. 9-13)