History Literature / ShadowChildren

%%* {{Dystopia}}: Oh yeah.

* GaiasLament: Droughts sometime before the series caused food shortages, forcing population control.

* HideYourChildren: The fate of any child born into a family that already has two offspring.

* SentIntoHiding: Due to a strict policy where parents cannot have more than two children, any third children born must be kept secret from everyone; main character Luke spent the entire first book just hiding out in his family's home, and met a third-child girl across the street who did the same.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusian_catastrophe Malthusian Catastrophe]] for the Young Adult set, written by Creator/MargaretPetersonHaddix. TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, laws have been passed strictly [[PopulationControl prohibiting families from having more than two children]], allegedly due to the risk of overpopulation. Illicit "third children" are killed, imprisoned, or, more often than not, hidden from the government. The seven-book series follows the experiences of the hidden kids as they come of age, and as a movement begins to overthrow the totalitarian government.

* NotSoDifferent: As much as the revolutionaries try to claim the moral high-ground, they can be as pointlessly callous as the Government. Case in point, [[spoiler:Mr. Talbot's gaslighting of Nina after Jason named her as his accomplice, when she knew nothing of his plot to out the shadow children like her and her only mistake was to fall in love with Jason]]. When the village Lee and the officer threaten revolt, their first action is to kill the abusive officer and their second action is to try and kill the junior officer after he tries to take some food. Much later they shoot an unarmed truck driver to hijack the food he was carrying (and at that point in the story it's been established that many government workers were strong-armed into their positions because it was the only way to get food).

* AffablyEvil: Several of the Population Police officers, like the one who speaks to Mr. Talbot in book 1, and in book 6, Teddy, the Commander, and several officers are all friendly and easy going. The Commander in ''Among the Brave'' is also quite nice to Trey when addressed in an formal manner, he does get irritated when not getting a fax. Mike's a subversion, he's the ReverseMole and not an enemy.

* ReverseMole: [[spoiler: Nedley/Mike]] in both of his appearances. Being a spy within the population police whose identity isn't revealed for a long time.
** Mr. Talbot as well, although that's revealed much earlier.

* {{Gaslighting}}:

* ManipulativeEditing: It's revealed that [[spoiler:Mr. Talbot faked a confession where Jason sold out Nina, though he did name her as his accomplice before the interrogation to save him]].
* MoralityPet: It turns out that [[spoiler:Jason really did care about Nina, and his naming her as an accomplice was to spare her from the massacre that would ensue from outing the shadow children. When she learns that he wasn't executed and he survived, however, and after the hell she just went through, she no longer loves him and is prepared to fight against him]].

* PopulationControl: The story is set in a world where families are limited to only two children per household. This is strictly enforced by the Population Police.

%%* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Oscar Wydell again.]]

%%* TheMole: [[spoiler:Jason Barstow]] in ''Among the Impostors''.

%%* ReverseMole: [[spoiler: Nedley/Mike]] in both of his appearances.

** Unlike his father, it's never confirmed if Jonas Sabine was actually executed, as he was last seen having been sentenced to death, but there was some hope of a rescue mission.
** Jen's chatroom pals Yolanda, Pat and Sean all showed a little reluctance at attending Jen's rally and it's unknown if they did attend [[spoiler: and die with everyone else]]. or just kept their heads down afterwards, although the fact that none of them answered when Luke checked Jen's chatroom afterwards implies the former.

* BiblicalThemeNaming: Luke and his older brothers Matthew and Mark. Their mother makes a wistful remark in ''Among The Hidden'' that she would have liked a John as well.

* ADayInTheLimelight: ''Among the Betrayed, Among the Brave, and Among the Enemy'' focus on Nina, Trey, and Matthias respectively.
* AffablyEvil: Several of the Population Police officers, like the one who speaks to Mr. Talbot in book 1, and in book 6, Teddy, the Commander, and several officers are all friendly and easy going. The Commander in Among the Brave is also quite nice to Trey when addressed in an formal manner, he does get irritated when not getting a fax. Mike's a subversion, he's the ReverseMole and not an enemy.
* AscendedExtra: Luke's brother Mark becomes TheLancer to Trey in Among the Brave.

* DisproportionateRetribution: the final book features a stable worker from the Population Police headquarters whose legs were broken by the population police after he suggested that they'd be able to shovel manure faster with different shovels.

%%* PopulationControl: Strictly enforced by [[LawEnforcementInc the Population Police]].

* DisappropriateRetribution: the final book features a stable worker from the Population Police headquarters whose legs were broken by the population police after he suggested that they'd be able to shovel manure faster with different shovels.

* DisappropriateRetribition: the final book features a stable worker from the Population Police headquarters whose legs were broken by the population police after he suggested that they'd be able to shovel manure faster with different shovels.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusian_catastrophe Malthusian Catastrophe]] for the Young Adult set, written by Creator/MargaretPetersonHaddix. TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, laws have been passed strictly [[PopulationControl prohibiting families from having more than two children]], allegedly due to the risk of overpopulation. Illicit "third children" are killed, imprisoned, or, more often than not, hidden from the government. The seven-book series follows the experiences of the hidden kids as they come of age, and as a movement begins to overthrow the totalitarian government.

* KarmaHoudini: Mr. Talbot for what he did to Nina. [[spoiler:His intentions were to protect the shadow children with fake IDs, but he put her through a lot of gaslighting that would traumatize any child, regardless of their moral agenda. Not to mention she can't return to the boarding school with her fake ID because even if she was innocent, she'd be ConvictedByPublicOpinion thanks to him arresting her]]. She doesn't even hate him for it, which surprises her. His only defense is his intentions.

* NotSoDifferent: As much as the revolutionaries try to claim the moral high-ground, they can be as pointlessly callous as the Government. When the village Lee and the officer threaten revolt, their first action is to kill the abusive officer and their second action is to try and kill the junior officer after he tries to take some food. Much later they shoot an unarmed truck driver to hijack the food he was carrying (and at that point in the story it's been established that many government workers were strong-armed into their positions because it was the only way to get food).

%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.

[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malthusian_catastrophe Malthusian Catastrophe]] for the Young Adult set, written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, laws have been passed strictly [[PopulationControl prohibiting families from having more than two children]], allegedly due to the risk of overpopulation. Illicit "third children" are killed, imprisoned, or, more often than not, hidden from the government. The seven-book series follows the experiences of the hidden kids as they come of age, and as a movement begins to overthrow the totalitarian government.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler:Oscar Wydell.]]
* CoolHouse: The Grants' home in ''Among the Barons''.

* {{Dystopia}}: Oh yeah.
* FallingChandelierOfDoom
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Practically ''every death in the series.''

* TheGovernment

* LawEnforcementInc: The Population Police.
* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Oscar Wydell again.]]
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Jason Barstow]] in ''Among the Impostors''.

* PopulationControl: Strictly enforced by [[LawEnforcementInc the Population Police]].
* ReverseMole: [[spoiler: Nedley/Mike]] in both of his appearances.
* TheStarscream: [[spoiler:Oscar Wydell, again.]]

* TheObiWan: Mr. Talbot and Mr. Hendricks.

* WhatMeasureIsAMook: Matthias get's shanghaied into the Population Police by an officer named Teddy. Teddy, Mike and all the other officers are friendly, hard working people who actually believe that what they're doing is for the best. Teddy later dies handling poisoned ID tags, and a memorial is set up for him.

* DeadPersonImpersonation: Luke impersonates Lee Grant for the most of the series, who died in a skiing accident. [[spoiler:It was more complicated than that - notably, it definitely wasn't an accident.]]

* HideYourChildren: Luke was in hiding for a reason.
** NoPlaceForAJuvenile: Unless you're a first and/or second born course of. For third-born children and beyond... well, one can figure out what happens if caught.

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Mike/Nedley's actions as a revolutionary aren't shown, only when he needs to save someone, or halp the protagonist. Mr. Talbot as well is implied to lead some sort of resistance.

* ReverseMole: Nedley/Mike in both of his appearances.

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Chauffeur from "Among the Brave" was revealed to be a resistance member, and joins with the others to fight them from inside the Population Police, he's never heard from again. Nina does mention that she and all the other infiltrators were unevenly distributed, and were sent to different areas. Nedley was also introduced in that book, later appearing in the next book under the name Mike. He's absent from the final book.