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Author: Susan Katz
Illustrator: Stacey Schuett
Published: 2007 Clarion Books (on JOMB)
ISBN: 0618702229 Chapters.ca Amazon.com

Forty-six pages of engaging illustration and thirty-four distinct, rhyme-free poems share the reluctant introduction, suspenseful separation and joyous reunion of a young boy and his surprisingly expressive new pet.

Poetry Fridays are brought to us by Kelly Herold of Big A, Little A.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2005. Double Identity.

Bethany has always thought her parents acted oddly. She didn’t live like other children. Her parents were different. She’s almost thirteen years old and had never spent a night away from her parents. In fact, her parents had never gone out and left her with a babysitter even. They were with her constantly. They acted as if she might disappear or vanish if they were separated. They were holding onto her much too tightly to be ‘normal’ or what Bethany thought of as normal. Yet when her mother begins to have nervous breakdowns--to cry irrationally for days or weeks, she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that her parents are keeping a big secret from her. The secret becomes even more of a mystery--a dangerous mystery--when they pack her up and take her to visit an aunt she’s never known. An aunt she’s never even heard mentioned. Dropped off on her aunt’s doorstep, she is treated by the town like she’s a ghost. Something is definitely not normal here. Can Bethany figure out the secret before her mother completely loses it? Why does everyone act so strangely around her? And why is everyone calling her Elizabeth?

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2003. Escape From Memory.

Kira was just a giggling girl at a slumber party who let herself be hynotized for laughs, but suddenly her life is being turned upside down and this ‘laughing matter’ is becoming an issue of life and death. Kira remembers something odd--something that doesn’t fit in with the stories she’s been told about her life. What does it all mean? Seeing her mother’s reaction, Kira knows something is being hidden from her...but she couldn’t have predicted the magnitude of the secret. Someone is willing to KILL to find out just what Kira knows. ESCAPE FROM MEMORY is an exciting, fast-paced science fiction novel.

Peterson, Margaret Haddix. 2001. Takeoffs and Landings.

Can a two week vacation with your mother change your life? It can if you’re Chuck and Lori and your mother is a famous motivational speaker. Don’t believe me?... read TAKEOFFS AND LANDINGS. After Chuck and Lori lose their father in a tragic tractor accident, their mother begins to support the family by traveling all over the United States giving motivational speeches for various companies and conventions. With each trip, her older children have resented her more and more. Resented the fact that she’s never there. Resented the fact that she’s different than before. Resented the fact that she never talks about their father. Living with their grandparents and younger brothers and sisters who can barely remember their father, life has moved on for all but them. But now their mom is home and convinced that she can change her relationship with her son and daughter if only she can spend some quality time with them. So relunctantly, the three set off on a wild trip...full of emotions...full of expectations...and nobody certain of the outcome.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2002. Because of Anya.

Because of Anya is told through multiple view points. Keely, one of our narrators, is one of a group of ‘popular’ kids that begin to tease or ostracize Anya because she is different. It is more than her shyness. Lately, Anya has been more nervous. Scared almost. And then one day she comes to school in a wig. Keely knows ten year olds don’t wear wigs unless they’re sick. What if Anya is dying? Anya, our other narrator, is struggling with her self-esteem. She was recently diagnosed with alopecia. She has been told that she may never grow her hair back. She might in fact lose all her body hair--including her eyelashes. Scared about what this all means, Anya needs special friends to help her through it. But can anyone in her class understand what she’s going through? Can anyone see her true beauty?
It is a powerful story of how friendships are made and how first impressions can be deceiving.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2006. Among the free.

This is the final title I'm going to have time to squeeze in most likely for the Dystopian fiction challenge. (It ends November 6th). This is the the last in the Shadow Children series, I believe. The narrator is Luke who has been our on again off again narrator for the series. (For the most part, I think the changing narratives works.) Luke is working undercover for the Population Police. (Really, he's just hoping that he and his friends can sabotage the bad guys in enough little ways that they won't have to have a planned, detailed offensive strike.) Life isn't easy for Luke. It never has been. He's still haunted by the loss of his first friend who 'sacrificed' her life for third children everywhere by making a stand and calling for action. The day for action may have finally come though...as citizens everywhere...throughout the land...begin to rebel against the Population Police. This book is exciting with plenty of thrills and twists along the way. Will Luke ever be safe? Can he ever be proud to be third?

In this continuation of the infamous Margaret Peterson Haddix series, Among the Enemy is another excellent thriller. In this sixth "episode" we follow Matthias as he tries to protect his friends Alia and Percy, as well as himself, from the Population Police. During a raid of their cabin by the officers, Alia and Percy are gravely injured, while Matthias accidentally saves the life of one of the members of the Population Police, earning him an honored status with the government and a free ride to join up. Matthias doesn't see himself having any other choice besides dying or going to train with his enemy.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 1995. Running Out of Time.

Jessie Keyser has lived her whole life in a small village, Clifton, where the year is 1840 and a disease is threatening to become an epidemic. But what she doesn’t know can save her...for outside her small village, the year is 1996. In the 1980s, a millionaire had a ‘brilliant’ idea of creating an authentic tourist attraction where volunteers would throw themselves back in time while tourists secretly watched. Jessie’s mother and father were two of the original volunteers. The rules were simple. Anyone was supposed to be able to leave if they changed their mind. While they couldn’t discuss the ‘twentieth-century world’ with just anyone, they could tell their children once they turned twelve. They were supposed to have access to modern medicine in the case of life-threatening illnesses. But what happens when the rulebook is thrown out? Can Jessie save her village from disaster? Full of secrets and surprises, RUNNING OUT OF TIME is an exciting science fiction read.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2005. Among the Enemy

When the government is overthrown in AMONG THE BRAVE, the celebrations only last for mere minutes. Soon the dreadful news sink in. The Population Police have overthrown the government. And the Population Police show no mercy. Matthias is the narrator in our sixth book of the series. Matthias and his friends Percy and Alia are taken by the population police along with the whole student body of his school. In fact, one of the first things the new government did was to close down all schools and to ‘take’ the children as a work force saying that they’d have to start earning the food they’d eat if they want to survive. But when the truck carrying the three children has an accident, things go in a different direction. While Percy and Matthias survive the crash, their youngest friend, Alia is in serious danger. With a head injury, she remains unconscious for days. Forced to carry her as they make their way through the woods at night, it seems almost unbearable until their situation gets even worse. When Percy is shot in the leg, it’s up to Matthias to figure out a way to save both their lives and his own. What is a young boy to do? Overwhelmed, Matthias’ adventure is only beginning.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2004. Among the Brave.

Trey is our narrator--a character first introduced in Among the Impostors--for our fifth installment in the Shadow Children series. As one of Luke’s closest friends, it is Trey’s responsibility to rescue his friends when they’re captured by the Population Police. But how can a boy who is afraid of practically everything--having been conditioned that way--save anyone? Can he find the courage and strength to help his friends as he knows they would help him if he were the one captured? Trey and Mark, Luke’s real brother, must team up to find him before it’s too late.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 2003. Among the Barons.

The fourth in the Shadow Children series, Luke (aka Lee Grant) returns as our narrator. Still at Hendricks School for Troubled Boys, Lee (also called ‘L’) is making great progress with the shadow children. He is trying to teach them how to cope in the world. He’s even coaxed some of them to take their first steps outside. But life still isn’t easy. Especially when Luke learns that Lee Grant’s real brother--Smits--is coming to the school. How will his ‘brother’ treat him? Is he there to threaten him? torture him? tease him? Luke doesn’t know what to expect...but he certainly doesn’t expect to be plunged into a dangerous new world where he’s forced to interact with barons and pass himself off as Lee to the elite society of the Grants. Danger is a constant threat when you’re a third...and change seems to be constant.

In what I hope becomes an annual event, today is "Tell An Author You Care Day." Read Emily's post on Whimsy Books for more information.

Margaret Peterson Haddix

Birth: April 9, 1964, Washington Court House, Ohio, United States
Education: Miami University, B.A. (summa cum laude), 1986
Religion: Presbyterian
Family: Married with two children

Bibliography

Running Out Of Time, 1995
Don't You Dare Read This, Mrs. Dunphrey, 1996
Leaving Fishers, 1997
Among the Hidden, 1998
Just Ella, 1999
Turnabout, 2000
Among the Imposters, 2001
The Girl With 500 Names, 2001
Takeoffs and Landings, 2001
Among the Betrayed, 2002
Because of Anya, 2002
Among the Barons, 2003
Escape from Memory, 2003
Among the Brave, 2004
Say What, 2004
The House on the Gulf, 2004
Among the Enemy, 2005
Double Identity, 2005
Among the Free, 2006
Dexter the Tough, 2007
Uprising, 2007

In my life, 2007 could easily be declared the year of Margaret Peterson Haddix. (Much like 2003 was the year of Michael Buble and John Mayer. Or 1995 was the year of the Beatles.) I *discovered* her work at my local library in January. By March, I had read every single Margaret Peterson Haddix book in their collection. There are plenty still I haven't read. But I have read all the ones I have easy access to. I haven't posted all my reviews yet. I guess you could say I've been saving them for a rainy day, or that I was saving them for a special day...a special project. (I have chosen the Shadow Children books for my Dystopian Challenge, so all of those will be posted by its deadline of November.) I just love, love, love Margaret Peterson Haddix. They're intelligent. They're thought-provoking. They're well-written. They're practically perfect in every way. And they seem designed to stimulate natural discussion. Not the kind of discussion that your teacher would force you to do. Not the kind of discussion where you have to brainstorm for hours in order to come up with a topic to discuss in a paper or essay question. Just natural, honest, provoking discussion about the book. You finish a book, and suddenly you want to tell everyone in the world about it. You want others to read that book just so you can discuss it with them. You lose yourself in them. For example, I read six of the seven Shadow Children books in just one weekend. I didn't care about doing anything else. I just had to read those books.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 1995. Running Out of Time.

Jessie Keyser has lived her whole life in a small village, Clifton, where the year is 1840 and a disease is threatening to become an epidemic. But what she doesn’t know can save her...for outside her small village, the year is 1996. In the 1980s, a millionaire had a ‘brilliant’ idea of creating an authentic tourist attraction where volunteers would throw themselves back in time while tourists secretly watched. Jessie’s mother and father were two of the original volunteers. The rules were simple. Anyone was supposed to be able to leave if they changed their mind. While they couldn’t discuss the ‘twentieth-century world’ with just anyone, they could tell their children once they turned twelve. They were supposed to have access to modern medicine in the case of life-threatening illnesses. But what happens when the rulebook is thrown out? Can Jessie save her village from disaster? Full of secrets and surprises, RUNNING OUT OF TIME is an exciting science fiction read.

Haddix, Margaret Peterson. 1998. AMONG THE HIDDEN.

Among the Hidden is the first in a seven book science fiction series entitled the Shadow Children. Luke is a third child. That alone sets him apart. Makes his very existence a threat to the status quo. In a world where the Population Police have not only ruled that each family is only allowed two children...but where they enforce the law with deadly force, Luke’s existence puts his whole family at risk. Before his twelfth birthday party, Luke’s life was restricted but not unbearable. For a child who’s never known the joy of going shopping, going to school, having friends outside his immediate family, he cannot miss these things. But when his family’s farm’s neighboring land (woods, farmlands, etc) becomes prime real estate development...then his world does change. Suddenly, he’s not allowed outside even in the backyard. No longer can he run and play in the yard. To help in the garden. He can’t even be allowed near any windows--whether the blinds are drawn or not--for fear someone might see his shadow. Restricted almost exclusively to the attic, Luke’s life seems one of lonely despair. But when he sees another face in the window of a neighbor’s house--one who shouldn’t be there because she has two older brothers--he begins to realize that he might not be alone after all. He then has to weigh the risks. Is it worth finding a friend if it jeopardizes his life in hiding? What if he’s caught? What if they’re both caught? Is it better to be safe and hidden? Or is there another way to live--a better way to live?

I became a fan of Margaret Peterson Haddix after reading the first three of her Shadow Children series. So when I saw Double Identity at the library today, I couldn't pass it up. I'm so glad I didn't. Well, except that it's after midnight I'm up finishing a book that wouldn't let me go...again.

Bethany's 13th birthday is just around the corner, but her parents have just dropped her off to stay with an aunt that she never knew existed. Why did they leave her? When are they coming back? Why didn't they leave a phone number? And who is Elizabeth? It gets weirder when the people of Sanderfield look at her as though they've seen a ghost. And how does Aunt Myrlie know all her favorite foods? Bethany meets her cousin, Joss, who decides to stay in town after heavy footsteps follow Bethany down unfamiliar streets late at night, when the strange man calls out her name, miles from where anyone should know her.

The reader rushes headlong into the story and early on, decides they have it all figured out. But they don't. The reader realizes it's not that simple. Ms. Haddix is a master of suspense, dropping delicious morsels to sustain and lead us on to the next chapter. You will devour this book and want more when you are finished. This is a book about teen identity like none other you have ever read.

If you write for young people, consider this LJ post a big, fat thank you note (virtual chocolates and ice cream, too). I just finished reading my 7th graders' final exams. I ask them to write an essay reflecting on how they've grown as readers, writers, and human beings this year. Here's a quote from K...

"In the beginning of the year, I didn't like to read at all. But then my teacher showed me all these books that were for me, and I couldn't stop reading."

Books that were for her.  Written just for her.  Or at least it felt that way.  She went on to talk about Sonya Sones, Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Nancy Werlin -- voices that spoke to her over the past ten months. 

And K wasn't the only one who named names as she reflected on books that made a difference this year.  My kids talked about finding themselves in the characters of Pete Hautman, Janet Tashjian, Jack Gantos, Laurie Halse Anderson, Lisa Yee, Sharon Creech, Jerry Spinelli, Wendelin Van Draanen, David Lubar, Cynthia Kadohata, Mal Peet, and Walter Dean Myers.  They wrote about being challenged by M.T. Anderson, Richard Preston, and Markus Zusak.  They wrote fondly about escaping into the worlds of Margaret Peterson Haddix, Christopher Paolini, and JK Rowling.  And they reflected on walking a mile in someone else's shoes as they read Gene Luen Yang, Cynthia Lord, Will Hobbs, Jennifer Roy, and Joseph Bruchac.

I write for kids.  I know that some days, it feels like you're alone with your computer, and even your computer doesn't  like you very much. So I thought I'd share K's reflection on her year of reading.  We all need to realize when we write, we're writing for someone important.  Someone like K, who's waiting for a book that's just for her, just for him.  

If you write for kids, that's the work you're doing every day.  You may never get to read the end-of-the-year essays, but you should know that you make a difference, and you're appreciated.

Well, I'm swimming in paperwork and stress. That's how the last 2 weeks of school always is--no matter how hard you try to get ahead, the last minute details of teaching are horrendous. So, I haven't been reading much (other than papers), and I obviously haven't been blogging much. I was composing haiku in my sleep last night. Here's what I wrote:

toes burrow in sand
blanketed in summer's duds
worries drift with tides

Can you tell this teacher is ready for summer?

What did I finish? Margaret Peterson Haddix's Shadow Children series. I started it last summer, then got mad when the public library didn't have the last two books. Finally, they got them, and I finished the last one. I really think this would be a cool series to see in film. Her Double Identity is on my to read pile.