In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke, an illegal third child, has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family´s farm in this start to the Shadow Children series from Margaret Peterson Haddix. 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 PopulationPolice. 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 heknows 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?