Review: Among The Hidden (Shadow Children #1) by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.

Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows -- does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?

Review:

 

Among The Hidden was a great book. I really enjoyed it. It was fast paced, gripping and had me on tenter-hooks. It had great twists and turns with a few shocks in store. The main character, Luke Garner, was excellent. The reader was informed of his thoughts, feeling and perceptions about his restricted world. I felt like I was with Luke during every moment of his extremely difficult experiences.

 

According to the authorities, he should not have existed which made him a fugitive and a prisoner in his own home. Before the construction of the housing development, Luke had a bit more space to roam around due to the encircling woods. After they were cut down, Luke had to retreat into his house and finally to the attic. Although his family loved him, his presence was dangerous for them and they began to perceive him as a nuisance. They continuously worried about his movements being noticed by the neighbours.

 

As he was not supposed to exist, the threat of the Population Police that could sweep down on him at any moment, was an ominous and palpable presence throughout the book. The law forbidding a third child in a family was created because the government thought that there wasn't enough food in the world for everyone. Therefore, his every mouthful was perceived as a crime.

 

I felt really sorry for Luke as he felt guilty for something he had no control over. It was such a terrible situation to be in but it was very realistically portrayed. Jen Talbot was an inspirational character for Luke. She, too, was a third child. She was inspirational because she told Luke to be brave, to not feel guilty for the simple fact of existing and to take a risk for greater gain. She had a permanent effect on his life as she was the catalyst that propelled him into the dramatic events that would follow in the succeeding books.

 

In the finale, Luke gets help from an unexpected source and he, as well as the reader, are first suspicious and then, pleasantly surprised by these turn of events. Overall, Among The Hidden was a fantastic book and a great dystopian book. I first read this six years ago and then again now and it has remained a favourite. Read it and immerse yourself in Luke's world.  

 
Rating: 5/5
Concept: 5/5
Cover: 4/5
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
 
This review is part of Dystopian February at Presenting Lenore.

Review: Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In the year 2000 Melly and Anny Beth had reached the peak of old age and were ready to die. But when offered the chance to be young again by participating in a top-secret experiment called Project Turnabout, they agreed. Miraculously, the experiment worked -- Melly and Anny Beth were actually growing younger every year. But when they learned that the final treatment would be deadly, they ran for their lives.



Now it is 2085. Melly and Anny Beth are teenagers. They have no idea what will happen when they hit age zero, but they do know they will soon be too young to take care of themselves. They need to find someone to help them before time runs out, once and for all....

Review:

I read Turnabout around seven years ago, really enjoyed it and felt like rereading it a few days ago. It explores the very interesting concept of 'unaging'. Melly and Anny Beth, the two main characters, are injected with PT-1 which reverses the aging process. At the start of the story, Melly and Anny Beth, along with 98 other elderly people, are offered the 'cure'. The cure ends up being effective for half of the patients and the others die unfortunately. 

As time goes on, the patients become younger and begin to be able to to things which they had lost the ability to do such as sit up in bed. However, the dilemma occurs when they realise that the doctors responsible for their unaging haven't figured out a way to stop the process at a specified age (such as 75) and so, Melly and Anny Beth run away from The Agency. 

The first time I read Turnabout I thoroughly enjoyed it because it felt so unique. Melly and Anny Beth were interesting, likeable characters and I cared about what happened to them. Reading it a second time was interesting because I had forgotten so many of the details. This time though, I realised that the science behind the cure wasn't explained fully and though I may not have understood it even if there were a proper explanation, realistically, the doctors would have given a fuller one.  

I wanted to know much more about Melly and Anny Beth's past because Turnabout was about reflecting on their lives to an extent. I believe that including flashbacks and dreams would have made me like them more on an emotional level. I enjoyed the way the chapters alternated between the year 2000 (when Melly and Anny Beth are around 100 years old) and 2085 (when they're teenagers again). 

The book could have been longer and some scenes could have been extended because there was plenty more that Haddix could have explored. The ending felt somewhat rushed and everything was settled very nicely, neatly and unrealistically. At the end, there were some questions that remained unanswered and I really did want to know for certain what exactly happened. However, I understand that 'uncertainty' was one of the themes of the book.

Turnabout did make me feel sad at points such as when a son doesn't recognise one of the patients as his own mother after she escapes the Agency to see him. The plot wasn't as complex as I would have liked it to be but it certainly did have potential. It explored moral and ethical questions and asked how far people would go for science and in the name of science. The future as depicted in 2085 didn't seem too different from 2000 and I wished Haddix could have developed it more.

I liked Melly and Anny Beth as they actually got on and tried to work out their problems. Overall, I enjoyed Turnabout as it was insightful and made me think mor deeply about the aging problem and wonder if this could happen in the near future. I would recommend this to people interested in the aging or 'unaging' process and sci-fi. If you liked The Curious Case of Benjamin Button by F. Scott Fitzgerald or Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt, you may like this.

Rating: 4/5

Concept: 4/5
Cover: 5/5
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix