This book continues to follow Luke as he joins a boarding school using a false identity. He struggles to fit in and there are things about the school and students that don't add up; he needs to figure out whom he can trust with his secret.

Like the first book in the series, this one has good pacing and is suspenseful. I figured out one of the plot twists, but not all of them.

This is supposedly for ages 8-12, but I don't think I would want my 8-year-old to read it. There's one scene where the main character notices the other boys drawing pictures of naked girls instead of taking notes (which was completely irrelevant to the story and added nothing to it), and the name-calling/hazing was a bit heavy-handed (for an 8-year-old), in my opinion. ( )

Great continuation of the series..... ( )

Luke Garner, an illegal third child, is living among others for the first time at Hendricks School for boys and is trying to blend in, but lives in fear that his behavior will betray him.

I try to express only my most honest opinion in a spoiler-free way. Unfortunately, there is still always a risk of slight spoilers despite my best efforts. If you feel something in my review is a spoiler please let me know. Thank you.

Short but good. I found this one far more heart-pounding than the first one. I never got around to reading these when I was younger and I'm excited to finally be getting to them. ( )

Book #2 in the Shadow Children series. Luke Garner has been given a new identity as Lee, and is enrolled in a boys school, where he is hazed as the new boy. As he begins to look around, he discovers many of the boys are strange and the school has no exterior windows. He discovers a door to get outdoors and eventually becomes inculcated only to discover treachery in the ranks. Again, he narrowly escapes detection by the Population Police as a third (illegal) child. ( )