First sentence: Luke Garner stood shoulder to shoulder with a dozen other boys, waiting.
Premise/plot: Among the Free is the final book in the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix. This one is all about bringing the whole series together and giving it a mostly tidy ending. Luke, and most of the other children we've met, are now in the ranks of the Population Police. These would-be rebels and spies are not having an easy time communicating with one another. Fortunately, the population police and the government are on the verge of collapse anyway. A few individual acts here and there seem to be enough to start society's downfall. Luke is at first overjoyed; but skepticism sets in, and not without reason. The new leader is not new to readers. His name: Oscar. Luke does not trust him even a little bit. And Luke's suspicions grow more as he watches the new government come together. He's been hesitant to speak up and play a role in the movement in the past, but, in this final novel he finds the motivation he needs. Will it be enough? Or is it too late?
My thoughts: I enjoyed the whole series. I think I enjoyed it even more upon rereading it. I am not sure I appreciated the various narrators the first time around. I wanted Luke and only Luke. But the series is stronger, I feel, because of the various narrators and points of view. One thing I realized is that each narrator illustrates a different way to be strong, to be brave, to take action. There is no one cookie-cutter way to get things done. Also the right action is rarely the easy, comfortable action.
© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews
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