Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden is the first in the Shadow Children series of YA dystopian novels by Margaret Peterson Hadix. The series is set in a future dystopia with population control.

Description: "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? ... Following the futuristic storylines of "1984" and "Brave New World" comes "Among the Hidden". Luke is a third child in a family with already two boys. This is breaking a decree established by the government. He's successfully hidden in his parent's home without discovery for 12 years, but a stray glimpse through an air vent reveals his prohibited existence. Does this spell freedom from secrecy?. ... In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm, until another ""third"" convinces him that the government is wrong."