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Among the Barons: The Shadow Children Book Four (Shadow Children #04)

by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Among the Barons: The Shadow Children Book Four (Shadow Children #04) Cover

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Smits had nothing left of his brother.
He was gone.

And Luke had taken his name.

How could anyone hear Smits sobbing and think he was merely a foolish, homesick kid? Luke knew what grief was like....What if Oscar suddenly understood, too?

Smits's grief was dangerous. Smits's grief could kill Luke.


As a third child in a society that allows only two children per family, Luke Garner was in hiding for the first twelve years of his life. Then he was given the freedom of an identity card that had belonged to Lee Grant, a Baron (a member of the highest class of society), and was sent to boarding school as Lee. But now, just when things are finally starting to go right, Lee's little brother, Smits, arrives at school, and Luke finds himself caught in a web of lies that gets more complex with every passing day — and possibly even lethal. Can Luke trust the grief-stricken Smits to keep Luke's secret? And can he trust Smits's menacing bodyguard, Oscar?

Luke finds that living among the Barons puts him in the deadliest danger he has ever faced.

As she did in Among the Hidden and the other Shadow Children books, Margaret Peterson Haddix depicts one individual trying to make sense of a world in which nothing is what it seems.

Review:

"Fans of Haddix's Shadow Children series will welcome this fourth title about third-born children living under a government that restricts families to no more than two children. Still using the identity of Lee Grant, a legal (and wealthy) child who died, Luke is shocked when Lee's younger brother, Smits, suddenly arrives at Hendricks School for Boys; his world is upset further when Smits sets fire to the school and both boys are summoned to the Grant mansion. There, Luke fumbles through Baron, or upper-class, life, and gains insight into Lee's death: the government killed him after catching him running guns for revolutionaries. Luke isn't sure whom he can trust: The Grants say they want to stage Luke's death so they can openly grieve for their son, which would send Luke back into hiding, while brute bodyguard Oscar claims to be part of the 'underground resistance' and tries to enlist Luke in a plan that would make Smits suffer. As with the other Shadow Children books, not all the plotting is consistent, and readers might be frustrated that the author raises more questions than she answers. Even so, the bond that forms between Luke and the alternately snotty and needy Smits is compelling, and there are enough cliffhangers and plot twists to keep readers hooked. Ages 8-12. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

BooklistSeries fans of the books won't be disappointed.

Review:

Publishers WeeklyThere are enough cliffhangers and plot twists to keep readers hooked.

Synopsis:

As a third child in a society that allows only two children per family, Luke Garner discovers that living among the Grant family might be deadlier than he ever imagined.

Synopsis:

Luke Garner, an illegal third child, spent his first twelve years in hiding. For the past four months Luke has lived among others, using the identity of Lee Grant, at the Hendricks School for Boys. But just as things are finally starting to go right, Lee's little brother Smits arrives at the school and Luke finds himself caught in a tangle of lies that gets more complex with every passing day.

Can Luke trust Smits to keep his secret? And can he trust Smits's menacing bodyguard, Oscar?

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
ORANGELEMON, May 10, 2006 (view all comments by ORANGELEMON)
i love this book it is full of mysteries and suppries!!! :)
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Product Details

ISBN:
9780689839108
Author:
Haddix, Margaret Peterson
Publisher:
Aladdin Paperbacks
Other:
Nielsen, Cliff
Author:
Nielsen, Cliff
Subject:
Family - General
Subject:
Action & Adventure
Subject:
Science Fiction, Fantasy, & Magic
Subject:
Children's 9-12 - Fiction - General
Subject:
Children's 9-12 - Fiction - Fantasy
Subject:
Family - Siblings
Subject:
Fantasy & Magic
Subject:
Science fiction
Subject:
Brothers
Copyright:
Edition Description:
B102
Series:
Shadow Children Books
Series Volume:
04
Publication Date:
September 2004
Binding:
Paperback
Grade Level:
Children/juvenile
Language:
English
Pages:
182
Dimensions:
762x530x60 34
Age Level:
08-12

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    Among the Impostors

    Margaret Peterson Haddix

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