Young Adult Literature without Apology
Amy's assessment of contemporary young adult literature, organized by author and title, censored by noone.
Realistic | Romance | Science Fiction | Historical Fiction | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery
Haddix, Margaret Peterson (2004). Among the Brave. NY: Simon and Schuster. 240 pages. ISBN: 0689857942.
This is the fifth installment of Haddix's series about the "shadow children", illegal third children born to families in a country in which only two births per household are allowed. In this futuristic society, rich Barons rule the local government while the rest of the country suffers in near poverty and fear and a small society of ilicit third children fight underground to overthrow the system and justify their existences. This novel is unusual because, instead of focusing on the established main character, Luke, the sheltered and wimpy Trey is the hero. When the existing monarch is overthrown and new dictator assumes power, Trey must work to re-unite Luke's gang of shadow children and re-organize the movement.I'm not sure why this series gets consistently decent reviews; I got tired of the whole thing after the third book. While the premise is intriguing and the first installments certainly tension-filled, Haddix has fallen into a rut of sorts and the latest novels are more singularly episodic and plot (and trope) driven than the initial titles. This is a book for younger YAs (5-8th grade) that features male characters to whom both boy and girl readers seem drawn.
