BOOK SUMMARY:
Born third at a time when having more than two children per family is illegal and subject
to seizure and punishment by the Population Police, Luke has spent all of his 12 years
in hiding. His parents disobeyed once by having him and are determined not to do anything
unlawful again.
At first the woods around his family's farm are thick enough to conceal him when
he plays and works outdoors, but when the government develops some of that land for
housing, his world narrows to just the attic. Gazing through an air vent at new homes,
he spies a child's face at a window after the family of four has already left for the day.
Is it possible that he is not the only hidden child? Answering this question brings
Luke greater danger than he has ever faced before, but also greater possibilities for
some kind of life outside of the attic.
This is a near future of shortages and deprivation where widespread famines have led to a
totalitarian government that controls all aspects of its citizens' lives. When the boy
secretly ventures outside the attic and meets the girl in the neighboring house, he learns
that expressing divergent opinions openly can lead to tragedy. To what extent is he willing
to defy the government in order to have a life worth living?
As in Haddix's Running Out of Time (S & S, 1995), the loss of free will is the
fundamental theme of an exciting and compelling story of one young person defying authority
and the odds to make a difference. Readers will be captivated by Luke's predicament and
his reactions to it.
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