Customer Reviews

Among the Brave (Shadow Children)

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I was a skeptic at first when I got hold of this book. Being a fan of the Shadow Children series, I couldn't help but wonder if this book would compare to the others before it. Especially when I saw that Trey would be the major focus of the plot. Since the other books have pretty much centered around Luke/Lee, I thought that maybe this book wouldn't be as good as the others.

Boy, was I wrong.

This book is GREAT and a much-welcomed part of the series. In this installment, you learn more about the Population Police and even get a look at their new headquarters. Luke, Nina, and some of the others have been captured, so it is up to Trey to rescue them. But is he brave enough?

If you are a fan of this series, you definitely CANNOT miss this book. It really helps to move the series along and is one of those books that once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down.

This book is a great exapnsion to the Shadow Children series. Just like the third book focused on Nina, this one reveals a whole new life and view point of another shadow child, Trey. He, in the previous book, had saved Luke's life. Now, you will see how Trey struggles in the center of the population police headquarters to free luke, his friends, and matt, lukes brother. This addition won't disapoint any followers of the series. It's interesting to see how the decisions Trey makes are different than you, or Luke would make because of his history as a third child, some of them help, and some get him into more troubles. If you enjoyed the other books, read this one.

Wow! This is the best book in the Shadow Children series so far, and that's saying a lot! This book has a great storyline, and a lot of unexpected twists, so get ready to be at the edge of your seat while you are reading this book! Be sure to check out the other four, and Among the Enemy, when it comes out in June 2005! Thank you, Margaret Peterson Haddix, for another wonderful, extraordinary, masterpiece.

I actually didn't expect Among the Brave to star Trey instead of Luke, but it's a nice change and gives more depth to someone Luke knows. In particular, I sense that there are changing dynamics to the relationship between Luke, Nina and Trey. Luke was the de facto leader of the group at Hendricks, pushing other third children to be less fearful and more open, but it seems that the "trial by fire" that Trey had to undergo has caused a newfound recognition of his own capabilities which will probably rival Luke's.

I felt that there were some amusing aspects to this story - Trey's habit of thinking in Latin and French, for example, or his sarcastic thoughts regarding the attitudes of people in the Population Police. This is a bit of a change from the somber tone of the previous books.

I have no way of knowing if this is the last book of the series, but the book ends on a note of suspense, and with all the loose ends tied up. It's hard to see where the author could strike out from here, since it's guaranteed that the good people will win eventually if they try hard enough. So even if these five books are all that are written, they'll be an enjoyable read for many people.

I agree with the editorial review that some of the events in the book are not that plausible at first glance, but if one stops to consider that incompetence in totalitarian regimes might well be overcompensated by slavish adherence to the leader, then the plausibility factor becomes less of a problem. (It strikes me that in the country of the Population Police and totalitarianism, there can't that many people who know French, much less Latin.)

Like all of the other books in the Shadow Children series, Among the Brave is a very compelling and interesting book. The events in this book occur in the near future and in a country that resembles America. In this world, a corrupt government controls everything and families are not allowed to have more than two kids. To have a third child is considered illegal and will be severely punished by the Population Police. This book tells the story of Trey, an illegal third child, and his battles against the Population Police.

This book starts out with Trey, Nina, John, and Joel sitting in a car in front if Mr. Talbot's house. Mr. Talbot is a spy against the Population Police and helps aid third children. Unfortunately, while Trey is trying to get Mr. Talbot to answer the door, A horde of Population Police officers storm the house. Mr. Talbot is taken away, leaving Trey by himself. His friends had drove away when they spotted the officers. After realizing that the Population Police have taken over the government, Trey runs to a farmhouse. This is where he finds Mark, Lee's brother. Lee is a third child with large amounts of bravery. Mark and Trey decide to join together in an attempt to find and save Lee and Trey's friends.

This plan falls apart when Mark is captured by the Population Police. To rescue Mark, Trey joins the Population Police so he could enter their headquarters. Trey sneaks into the air vents and crawls into the basement, where he finds Mark in a cage. with the help of a false Population Police officer, Trey is able to sneak Mark out using false papers. From there Trey drives to where his friends and Lee are really captive and rescues them. In the end, Trey decides to rejoin the Population Police with his friends so they could rescue more third children.

I recommend this book to those have read the rest of the Shadow Children series. Among the Brave might confuse those who have just started reading the series. Overall, this is a very exciting book that can be enjoyed by all.

This book is the best book in the whole series of "shadow children" books. It's a great series for people like me that don't like to read or just don't have time to read. This series helped me understand that there are some really interesting books out there, and you don't just have to read those boring books that you are forced to read either in school or at work.

Wow. This seris is good. If you're just starting, I recommend starting from the beginning. But, this seris will keep you hooked. The events are believable and the characters begin to feel like family. Most of the time, you won't be able to put it down. It's that kind of book. So, all I have to say is that Margaret Peterson Haddix is an awesome writer and I am having a hard time waiting for the next installment. Check this series out!

Once before in her popular Shadow Children series, Margaret Peterson Haddix has decided to shine her spotlight on someone other than Luke. In this fifth book of the series that someone happens to be Luke's shy friend Trey.

After saving Luke's life at the conclusion of book four, Trey has a newfound reputation to uphold. To his friends Trey is a hero. However deep inside, Trey knows the truth. He's more scared than he's even been in his life, especially with the government being taken over by the Population Police. How will someone like him ever make a difference? How could someone like him help bring down the Population Law? When Trey's friends are captured, it's up to him to face his fears and infiltrate Population Police headquarters and save their lives like he's once saved Luke's.

After finishing book four, I have to say, I was excited about the direction this series was heading. One aspect that I've enjoyed in the series so far is how we only know what Haddix's characters know. We know that the Population Law is unfair and evil but we only ever see how it affects the main characters and their very secluded environments. As I said, I eagerly anticipated finally being able to see what kind of world would let a law like the Population Law exist. I have to say, I was somewhat disappointed. There's nothing new, there's nothing fresh about this society. We've seen it all before in other films and books. People are homeless, poor, and begging for food. The government is in shambles and riots break out everywhere. It definitely would not be a comfortable or safe place to live, third child or not.

I also feel that Haddix lets all her creativity out on her "child" characters. So much, that the adults of the series are rather boring. Mr. and Mrs. Talbot have no depth and the new villains we're introduced to are well-worn and clichéd. Even Trey, the protagonist, is sloppily written. His transformation from zero to hero would be okay if Haddix wouldn't have already shown us how well she can pull this off by transforming Luke. This really stands out in a scene where Trey tricks a high-ranking Population Police official into believing he's a dedicated solider. Trey's gained a lot of courage but not enough to keep the reader from being skeptical here.

Being book five in a seven part series, this book would have to be much worse for me to lose interest now. I was rather excited about the possibility of a fresh and interesting look into a bleak future society, but that's my fault, not Haddix's. Fans of the series will enjoy it and there is a good message about overcoming your fears and rising to the occasion. It was indeed suspenseful; I guess I was just hoping for more.

This is a really exciting book. And the suspence! It's a masterpiece.

I have enjoyed all of the Shadow Children books, especially those that center around the original protagonist Luke Garner/Lee Grant. "Among the Brave" picks up immediately where "Among the Barons" left off, but this time follows a minor character, Trey, as he tries to save his friends from an awful, unknown fate. Trey is not as likeable a character as Luke/Lee, but Haddix makes up (somewhat) for his disagreeable wishwashiness and his contrariness with a firecracker of an ending.

Trey has always considered himself to be a coward, never one to face a problem if someone else would do it, but now he finds himself alone in a desperate situation. After rescuing Lee from certain death at the Grants' home, Trey finds himself reaching out to Mr. Talbot for help, only to see his savior dragged off by the Population Police and the government overthrown by a man even more hated than the former president. Now it is certain that all third children will be systematically wiped off the face of the Earth and Trey feels there is little he can do to prevent it. Yet he knows he must rescue Lee, Nina, and the others from Hendricks School. He finds an unlikely ally in Mark, Lee's older brother, and together the two of them forge their way back to the Grants' mansion, only to find themselves in the midst of the Population Police's new headquarters. Failed schemes lead to grave trouble, but Trey finds an unlikely alliance within the Population Police (as he joins the forces himself) in order to save his friends.

"Among the Brave" is certainly not the strongest in the series. Trey is awful repetitive and his cowardly thoughts and longings for escape become tiresome quickly. Yet the last half of the book flows at a brisk clip and readers will be hungry for more when they reach the conclusion, which is sure to set up a remarkable ending to the Shadow Children series. I look forward to reading the final two books in the series to learn how/if the third children can find their freedom.