FROM AMAZON: An ache grew in his throat and he wanted to sob, but he set his jaw and held it in. He'd been wrong to send Nina away, wrong to refuse to help her, wrong to let the commander treat him like a pet. He'd been wrong to think that everything ended when he lost Percy and Alia....I can stop this evil, he thought.
The Population Police are gaining more and more power, and illegal third-borns are in increasing danger. Young Matthias finds himself caught in the cross fire between the Population Police and the rebels -- and unwittingly ends up saving the life of a Population Police officer. By way of reward, the officer takes Matthias to the luxury of Population Police headquarters to train him to become one of their own. There, among his most feared enemies, Matthias encounters Nina, another illegal third-born, who enlists his help in a plot to undermine the Population Police. But Matthias is under constant scrutiny, he has no idea whom he can trust, and he's mourning the loss of his friends Percy and Alia. What can one boy do against a wicked bureaucracy?
In the most exciting Shadow Children book yet, Margaret Peterson Haddix examines how the courage of individuals can make an impact on growing evil. ( )

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Luke Garner, a third child born into a society where families are limited to two children, continues his fight against the population police. In this episode, he works under cover for the population police, until he is able to make a valiant escape. Does his courageous act really lead to freedom for all?

This is the conclusion of the Shadow Children series, and what a perfect conclusion it is to this exciting and important series about the value of truth, dignity, family, and most of all, freedom! This book, like the other books in this series, really shows young readers what is truly important in life. The well-developed characters that have reoccurred from the beginning of the series, and the exciting plot lines make this an unforgettable series of stories to be enjoyed by the young and old alike. ( )

(see Book 1) The happy ending is more in line with movies than real life, but is acceptable because of the audience, and not overly implausible in the context of the fictional alternate world. The series as a whole did a good job of distinguishing good people who do bad things by accident, good but misguided people who do bad things, and bad people who think they are good but do bad things on purpose. ( )