Margaret Peterson Haddix' Among the Brave is a science fiction story, focuses on what the character does to rescue what he needs to rescue for. The character has to go through many different obstacles to rescue that objective.Trey, the protagonist or hero, is a "third child", described so by the population police. The Population Police are a big coalition of antagonists that want to control the way how people live especially "third children". As Trey is surrounded by the Population Police, he has to figure out how he could manage to rescue his friend, Luke Garner (Lee Grant), and then also has to rescue someone else later on into the plot, which is Mark.Trey uses strategical logic through this plot to rescue Luke in the book. He uses many different ways in order to get through all of his obstacles through the Population Police and everything else that surrounds it. Such as, "What if there's a better way to help Lee than climbing two fences? Let's both think for a while, talk it out.... Maybe we've been overlooking for an obvious solution. Maybe we don't need to step foot on the Grants' property at all" (88). When he persuaded with Mark, the brother of Smits Grant, a way to rescue Lee in the property of the Grant's house (now occupied by the Population Police afterwards). The occupation occurred after the Grant's house has been invaded by the Population Police where it became now as the Population Police headquarters and taking away Trey's friends including Lee, leaving Trey to rescue them with whatever detailed way to successfully rescue.The reading in this book is actually seeks to me a lot to get intact with the plot. It kept me focused on what is going on and what will happen later on in the book that inscribes my motivation to be interested to this book. I kept thinking, what will happen if the Population Police captured Trey? What if Mark died at the hands of the Population Police? What will Trey do about all of this? All of this may seem questionable, I was actually having a feeling of what will happen during those moments. When Mark got captured by the Population Police when he tried to sneak to their headquarters, I was thinking what would happen to him and what would Trey do about it? Trey did manage to rescue Mark later onto the book with damaging consequences to Mark's body, especially after the riot with the mob of people asking for food. When Mark said "Speed up! We're under attack!" (171). meant that trouble was coming for Trey, especially at Mark during that time with the hungry mob. This book really inspired me to go further onto the series with the book, the plot was great, the characters fit in, everything else related to this was just great. If you are looking for a action-stealth-logic book, then this book might be the right choice for you.
Again, I'm going to have to give a book in this series a 3.5 because I can't bring myself to give it 4 stars. Bummer!! This is book 5 in the series, and it is Trey’s story after he is dropped at Mr. Talbot’s house in the end of Barons. He thinks he’s there to get help from Mr. Talbot while his friends wait in the car, but when Population Police tear out of the garage with a handcuffed Talbot, and Nina and the others speed away from the house, he’s left alone, confused, and scared. He learns that the president has been overthrown and replaced with the head of the Population Police, who is ruthless and determined to rid the country of ‘thirds’. Riots, executions, betrayals, and an authority overhaul leave pretty much everyone with no idea who they can trust or how they will survive. With the help of Luke’s brother Mark, Trey sets off to find his friends and figure out what he’s going to do now that he’s on the run. Along the way, the timid and naïve Trey learns strengths that he never knew he had, and becomes a key player in the future of the movement to free the shadow children. I really like the way this series is set up to have storylines from several different characters that cover the story as a whole, because it makes me enjoy characters that, to be honest, I didn’t think much of before. Trey was one of them, but after reading Brave and seeing how much he grows, I like him a lot more than I did in the previous books. He goes from this meek little boy to being a strong, clever asset to the movement. I have to admit, after reading 5 books of this series I’m itching for an ending…I’m kind of feeling like enough is enough, but I do really love all of the stories behind each character. I’m just ready for the Population Police to get what they deserve!! =)
What do You think about Among The Brave (2005)?
The series has a kind of fantasy agoraphobia/autism to go along with the children who have been forced at dire risk to themselves and their families to hide inside silent and away from windows. Trey has this condition. He gets over it in an action scene in the last like 20 pages of the book, the first 95% are him whining about being scared and how much he doesn't want to save his friends, just look like he tried. Being scared is believable but it never ends, and it tips over into laziness. I hated Trey as a protagonist, he has a little bit of book smarts but he never comes across as intelligent because he has nothing but fear and abandonment issues to direct at the outside world. Because he has no curiosity, we never get a feel for what happens around him, you just peer out of this brats head into what would have been a cool plot if he would just get over himself before it was all over. It would be interesting if he actually struggled against his fears or disability, but its made clear he just wants to go home to his dad, over and over and over.This actually wasn't the worst book in the series, 2 definitely was, but give it a skim or a miss.
—Inukie
"Among the Brave" is the fifth book in the series, Shadow Children by, Margaret Peterson Haddix, and is yet to be the best. The series Shadow Children is about a time were food supply and electricity is limited. People who the characters in the book call Population police who control everyone have created a law were having a third child is illegal to save the human species. The main character in the book named Lee or what he calls himself Luke on his fake ID to save his identity is a third child, and is trying to stay alive and save others throughout the book. He finds himself in many difficult situations after he has saved his friends life who's also a third child, Trey. Luke has been captured by the population police as him and Trey were trying to sneak into the population police headquarters, to save former people who have been caught by them. Now Trey has to become one to get into there headquarters and risk everything to save him.He braced himself for the man to squint at the picture and compare it with Trey's face. And what if the man decided to test the I.D.?,"(Haddix 105).Was were Trey was waiting and line to enter the Population Police's headquarters, and gave the guard his fake I.D. Will Trey save them all? Or will he get caught in action? In my opinion this book "Among the Brave" was the best in the series yet that I've read. The series alone, Shadow Children is pretty good. The author Margaret Peterson Haddix did a really good job keeping the reader in suspense. She did this by having what ever character was in a difficult situation start asking question to himself in his mind of what the possible outcomes could be."Did anybody see me? It was torture, waiting knowing he could do nothing now to correct his mistake,"(Haddix 120). This book is a mystery/fiction book that would be perfect for a person looking for a good series to read. That has many twist that will shock you, and keep you in suspense. I give "Among the Brave" a rating of 4 out of 5 stars. I give it a 4 because there was never boring times were I felt the need to put it down and start a new book. At times I even got upset when I would be in a very suspenseful part, which is like the entire book, and I had to stop reading it.
—Ashley
Trey was thinking about Luke, and how brave he was. He wished he could be that brave. But, if you thought about it, he never really got a chance. Until now. Trey is left stranded in front of Mr. Talbot's house as the Population Police rade it. He manages to survive just barly, hidding behind a flower pot until Luke comes for him. But he never does. Now Trey knows that something's up. So, he teams up with a boy named Mark Garner in order to find his friends and save them from the Popualtion Police - Even if it means joining the Population Police to do so. But will Trey be brave enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the very people who want to take his life?This is my favorite Shadow Children book, and I think my third all time favorite =)
—Emily - This star won't go out
