Smits had nothing left of his brother.

He was gone.

And Luke had taken his name.

How could anyone hear Smits sobbing and think he was merely a foolish, homesick kid? Luke knew what grief was like....What if Oscar suddenly understood, too?

Smits's grief was dangerous. Smits's grief could kill Luke.

As a third child in a society that allows only two children per family, Luke Garner was in hiding for the first twelve years of his life. Then he was given the freedom of an identity card that had belonged to Lee Grant, a Baron (a member of the highest class of society), and was sent to boarding school as Lee. But now, just when things are finally starting to go right, Lee's little brother, Smits, arrives at school, and Luke finds himself caught in a web of lies that gets more complex with every passing day -- and possibly even lethal. Can Luke trust the grief-stricken Smits to keep Luke's secret? And can he trust Smits's menacing bodyguard, Oscar?

Luke finds that living among the Barons puts him in the deadliest danger he has ever faced.

As she did in Among the Hidden and the other Shadow Children books, Margaret Peterson Haddix depicts one individual trying to make sense of a world in which nothing is what it seems.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-In this fourth installment of a series about a society that allows only two children per family, Luke Garner is finally adjusting to his new life at Hendricks School as Lee Grant. While the Grants belong to the highest class of society called the Barons, Luke avoids snobbish affectations and befriends his classmates, who are also illegal thirds. When the real Lee Grant's younger brother arrives at the school, along with his fierce body guard, Luke worries that Smits will expose him to the government. However, Smits has come to enlist Luke's help in discovering how his older brother really died, suspecting that he was murdered. The intrigue and danger grow more acute when both boys are called "home" and Luke discovers that the Grants have plans for him that could turn out to be fatal. As in the previous books, characters who seem honest turn out to be dangerous while others who seem suspicious end up as allies. The climax hints at a further installment. Fans of the series are the most likely audience for this story of Luke's continuing struggle to survive.
Farida S. Dowler, formerly at Bellevue Regional Library, WA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. This exciting fourth installment in the series that began with Among the Hidden (1998) focuses on "shadow child" Luke Garner, a third child in a futuristic society that allows families only two children. Luke, who has gone underground to escape the Population Police, reemerges after 12 years in hiding to assume the identity of Lee Grant, a member of the society's most privileged class, and is sent off to boarding school. The impersonation goes smoothly until Smits, Grant's younger brother, enters the picture. Luckily, Luke, who lives in constant fear that grieving Smits will turn him over to the Population Police, eventually manages to elude the authorities, which leaves open the possibility for more adventures. There is enough background information in the opening chapter to fill in readers new to the series, and series fans of the books won't be disappointed; there's plenty of suspense, and there are lots of thrilling twists and turns. Ed Sullivan
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