[ 
Mood: Angelic ]
[ Currently: Getting the grocery list ready. ]
Luke is a third child in a world where every couple is only allowed to have two. His family hides him in the attic and he is only allowed outside when no one is around.
Then one day, the government forces Luke’s family to sell the woods that are around his home and he is suddenly confined to the house. Things get worse when the woods are cut down and homes for "Barons", the rich, are built. Now Luke can only sit on the stairs to eat his dinner.
Luke notices a face in the window of one of the homes after everyone has left and realizes, there is another third child. He meets Jen and learns that there are many, many others in the same situation as him. Jen tries to get him to join in the fight to free the third children, or shadow children, as they are known.
Margaret Peterson Haddix has created an utterly believable dystopia in this book. Luke’s joy at finally having someone outside the family to talk to is believable and so heartbreaking. The resolution of the story, while heartbreaking, is also right on track and opens this up for a continuing series.
Nice read.