The Shadow Children series is a series of seven books by Margaret Peterson Haddix about a futuristic country which suffers food shortages due to a drought (Among the Enemy, p. 83) and the effects of the government's attempts to control resources as a way to solidify its power (Among the Enemy, p. 162). The Population Police enforce the government's Population Law, killing or imprisoning "shadow children," any third child in a family.

Overview

Luke Garner, is a shadow child (third child) in a time when there isn't much food, and therefore laws only allow up to two children per family. Luke lives his life hidden from the outside world for fear of the Population Police (the government agency responsible for the assurance of a low population). One day, he notices one of his new neighbors has a shadow child, named Jennifer Talbot, more known as Jen. Jen lives a privileged life as the third child of a Baron, one of the social elite. Educated and dedicated, she intends to organize a rally of all the shadow children in the country, to be staged outside of the president's house, to prove to the world that what the government is enforcing is wrong. Luke reluctantly refuses and stays home, realizing weeks later that Jen has not returned. After being caught sneaking into Jen's house by her father, a member of the Population Police, Luke discovers that Jen and the other 40 children at the rally were shot and killed by the population police. Mr. Talbot, hoping to help Luke, gives him a fake ID and sends him to a private school to help him live free and some day find freedom for the rest of the shadow children.
Luke struggles to adjust to his new life, fearful that he will be or else caught and declared an impostor. He gradually discovers he is not the only third child at the school and finds new friends. He also secretly finds that one of them is a spy for the Population Police. The spy is caught and arrested under the pretense of being a third child, and Luke discovers that almost every student in the school is a third child.

Luke is not alone in the dangerous world he now lives in. Nina (her real name is Elodie),Trey, Percy, Matthias, and Alia, also third children, join his battle. They are forced to deal with betrayal, courage, and the true faces of the enemy. Together, they go through many extraordinary challenges to try to overthrow the hated government, but along the way they discover something more amazing than ever before.

The Books

• Among the Hidden
  Among the Hidden
  Among the Hidden is a 1998 young adult novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix concerning a fictional future in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the first of seven novels in the Shadow Children series.-Plot summary:...
  
  (1998)
• Among the Impostors
  Among the Impostors
  Among the Impostors is a 2001 book by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation...
  
  (2001)
• Among the Betrayed
  Among the Betrayed
  Among the Betrayed is a 2002 novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the third of seven novels in the Shadow Children series.-Plot summary:...
  
  (2002)
• Among the Barons
  Among the Barons
  Among the Barons is a 2003 book by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the fourth of seven novels in the Shadow Children series.- Plot summary :...
  
  (2003)
• Among the Brave
  Among the Brave
  Among the Brave is a 2004 book by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the fifth of seven novels in the Shadow Children series.-Plot summary:...
  
  (2004)
• Among the Enemy
  Among the Enemy
  Among the Enemy is a 2005 novel by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation...
  
  (2005)
• Among the Free
  Among the Free
  Among the Free is a 2006 book by Margaret Peterson Haddix, about a time in which drastic measures have been taken to quell overpopulation. It is the seventh and final book in the Shadow Children series.-Plot introduction:...
  
  (2006)