Module 6: Fiction, Fantasy, and Young Adult Literature - AMONG THE FREE

BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA:

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2006. AMONG THE FREE. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689857985

PLOT SUMMARY:

Will third-child Luke Garner finally find freedom in a world where third children are illegal? Readers will find out in this long-awaited conclusion to the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Luke has spent his entire life in hiding and conspiring against the Population Police. As an illegal third child, he has had to hide, run away, lose one of his friends, Jen, to the effort, assume fake identities, change his name repeatedly, and even join the Population Police in an attempt to destroy them from within. This seventh book in the series begins with Luke working as a stablehand in the Population Police headquarters. He is chosen to go along on a mission to issue new identification cards door by door. When they arrive at the town, Luke comes across an elderly woman who refuses to obey the Population Police’s commands. When the commanding officer orders Luke to shoot her, Luke drops the gun and runs away. For fear of being killed for disobeying a commanding officer, Luke is forced back into hiding. He later receives word that the people in the town seized the gun and stood up against the Population Police officers in their town. While in hiding, Luke encounters many people who have been negatively affected by the Population Police and the country’s extreme laws. He comes across a town without any food and houses in ruin. Luke hears that the Population Police have fallen from power, that many small riots against the police have taken place, and that the general population has taken over the Police headquarters. Luke goes back to the Population Police headquarters to check things out, and observes festivities, celebrations, and lots of food for everyone. However, the mood quickly changes for Luke as he discovers that people are still being brainwashed to blame illegal third children for the country’s problems, and Luke must stand up for what he believes in. He uses one of his favorite horses when he was a stablehand, Jenny, to get the attention of the crowd as he takes the stage to speak. Luke tells his story, and changes the crowd’s opinion. Luke is reunited with friends and family, and the story ends on a note of hope, change, and possibility for the future.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Luke’s character is a compelling and dynamic one. Readers will easily identify with his realistic combination of good qualities and weaknesses. With Luke is a good person with a good heart, he is afraid of the frightening circumstances he is in and certainly does not charge fearlessly into battle with Population Police. In fact, Luke finds himself an accidental hero when he refuses to shoot the elderly lady and abandons the gun that eventually sets off the revolution against the Population Police. However, in AMONG THE FREE, readers do witness an important transformation in Luke. He progresses from a boy unsure of himself and how to survive into a young man capable of confronting a crowd on horseback in order to point out the brainwashing tactics and injustices of the Population Police. Luke learns what freedom really is, and he discovers that he is free to make choices and free to not fear what he truly believes in.

As a fantasy novel, the time and place are vague, but the reader implicitly understands that the story takes place in a bleak, futuristic time and place. Haddix carefully describes the ruined towns and devastating losses resulting from the policies of the Population Police. While the grim conditions take readers to a place that is likely very different from where they live, readers will not miss the point that these dreadful conditions could be possible anywhere when power falls into the wrong hands.

In AMONG THE FREE, all of Luke’s experiences and difficulties throughout the series come to a satisfying conclusion as Luke is finally able to stand up to the Population Police and bring about an astounding change for his country and for the many other illegal third children in hiding. This theme of good triumphing over evil keeps the reader cheering for Luke right up to the very end. Hope is abundant at the end of the story, and the frightening country where third children were once illegal has the opportunity to be set right again.

Haddix’s gripping style expertly weaves excitement and unpredictability into the story. With spellbinding cliffhangers concluding several of the chapters and exciting twists and turns throughout the story, the nail-biting plot makes it difficult to put the book down, and the reader will feel compelled to keep the pages turning. Ultimately, AMONG THE FREE offers a good conclusion to the Shadow Children series, and children will certainly enjoy this book.

REVIEW EXCERPTS:

From BOOKLIST (June 1, 2006 (Vol. 102, No. 19)):
“Ordered to kill an old woman, Luke--an illegal third child hiding out as a member of the organization he seeks to overthrow--flees, sparking a revolt that carries him back to Population Police headquarters, where he discovers a plot that forces him to make a life-altering choice.”

From HORN BOOK (Fall 2006):
“Haddix's swift adventure doesn't resolve every story line of the previous volumes but still offers a satisfyingly hopeful, open-ended conclusion.”

From SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL (August 1, 2006):
“This is a light, easy read that delivers what it promises. Fans of the series won't be disappointed.”

CONNECTIONS:

*Other fantasy novels in the Shadow Children series:
Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2002. AMONG THE BETRAYED. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689839057

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2003. AMONG THE BARONS. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689839065

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2004. AMONG THE BRAVE. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689857942

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2005. AMONG THE ENEMY. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689857969

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 1998. AMONG THE HIDDEN. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689817002

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2001. AMONG THE IMPOSTERS. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers. ISBN 0689839049

*Activities:
After reading AMONG THE FREE, the conclusion to the Shadow Children series, students could be encouraged to compare and contrast the various books in the series. Students may enjoy discussing which books in the series were their favorites as well as noting differences in the characters as they move from book to book.

Since the story ends after the revolution’s success in overthrowing the Population Police, students may enjoy working together to create a new constitution for the country in the book. Students could be encouraged to include civil rights for third children in the constitution as well as general rights for a free country. Examining the framework for a government and ensuring the rights of all people could lead students to engage in thoughtful and meaningful discussions.

Although AMONG THE FREE is the final book in the Shadow Children series, fans of the series could be encouraged to write the first chapter of a make-believe next book in the series. Students could create their own titles for this next book as well as address what happens next in the lives of Luke and his family and friends now that the country is free from the control of the Population Police.

For true fans of the Shadow Children series, librarians could create a Shadow Children book club, encouraging children to read and share their thoughts on all of the books in the series. This would also be a great way for like-minded children to share suggestions for other fantasy books they have read and enjoyed.

*Websites:
http://www.haddixbooks.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadow_Children_sequence
http://www.simonsays.com/content/destination.cfm?tab=4&pid=357676