Publication Date: Sep 1998

Synopsis:

Luke has never been to school. He’s never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend’s house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.

Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He’s lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family’s farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside.

Then, one day Luke sees a girl’s face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he’s met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows – does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?

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What To Expect:

Readers can expect a dystopian novel about overpopulation for younger readers (middle school ages and up).

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Content Warnings:

Language: None – Some mean insults

Sexual Content: None

Violence: Mild – A character is shot off page, death

Substance Use: None

Prejudices: None

Religious Themes: None

Other Topics: Population control, with implied abortion mandated by the government. Lying & disobeying.

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