Margaret Peterson Haddix
Aladdin 2001
Available:
Hardcopy, paperback, audio, audible
Luke Garner has given up
everything to gain his legal status . . . his home, his family, and even his
name. Up until now, he's hid from the outside world because he's an illegal
third child. Being a third child is a crime punishable by death. Fate has
intervened and now he's a student at the Hendricks School for Boys, a private
boarding school. His new name is Lee Grant. Has he made a mistake coming here?
School is more like a prison than what he'd expected. The other boys are either
cruel or
cowed. The teachers seem more concerned with dispensing demerits that knowledge. And there's no privacy, not even in the bathrooms. He's afraid someone will discover that he doesn't belong and turn him in. Desperately trying to blend in, he's miserable until one day he discovers an open door to the outside.
cowed. The teachers seem more concerned with dispensing demerits that knowledge. And there's no privacy, not even in the bathrooms. He's afraid someone will discover that he doesn't belong and turn him in. Desperately trying to blend in, he's miserable until one day he discovers an open door to the outside.
This is the second book in the
Shadow Children series and is a really good read even if you haven't read the
first book. Luke is kind of an anti-hero. He's not a powerhouse with super
skills, but his character feels very real and evokes both sympathy and respect.
The reader will want to cheer for him as he tries to survive in this futuristic
totalitarian society.
Target audience: Grades 6-9
Mystery /suspense: Good
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