Among the Hidden

This was the first book that we decided to read using the Facebook polling system. It was the shortest and most poorly written book of the “Fabulous Five” we read. “Among the Hidden” by Margaret Peterson Haddix was not a fan favourite and that was due to a number of reasons. The first being that nothing happened until the end, and what did in fact happen was evidently nothing. We did not know at the time that it was part of a series which helped us to understand why it ended so abruptly. Many of us believed the book was written by a teenager who had little ability, due to the poor writing and plot development of the book. It was a book written for the junior grades and no one else, unlike fan favourite “Silverwing” which could be enjoyed by all. It is important to note that this story came highly recommended by a member of our group because his grade 5 students greatly enjoyed the story due to its suspenseful nature. Although we did not care for it, we would not omit it from our classroom libraries. In the end, very little quality discussion was made about this book besides the fact that it was not very good. We have later come to realize this book was responsible for the partial collapse in book club numbers. This was coined the “Dark Age” and we all knew that the next book would have to light the way or else.

Among the Hidden Discussion Questions:

• What were your initial thoughts about the story? Where did you think the plot was headed? Was the story predictable?
• The setting is non-specific in terms of the year and country/town/city that the story takes place in. Where and when do you think this takes place?
• Luke's family is terrified of the government. Why? What are some of the tactics the government employs to make ordinary families like his feel powerless?
• Explore Luke's relationships with his brothers and his parents. How close are they? How trusting? Does Luke have more in common with Jen than with his own family? Why or why not?
• Why did Jen organize the march on the president's house? Do you think she knew she was going to die? Was she being noble? Was she being foolish?’
• Discuss the character of Jen’s father. Is he a hero, a villain, or both? What do you think and why?
• What would the story be like if it was focused on Jen’s perspective instead of Luke’s?
• Would you read the next installment of this series? What are your predictions for the future of Luke/Lee?