Continuing my journey of rereading middle grade fiction from my middle school/early high school years, I dove back into the Shadow Children series. I’m thrilled to say these books (so far) still hold up over 20 years after publication. The first book introduces us to Luke who is a third child in a world where families are not allowed to have more than two children. We watch as his freedom to be outside and to socialize with his family in normal ways slowly dwindles over the years until he is forced to stay in his room (in the attic) 24/7. Luke grows lonelier by the day and starts to question how the rest of his life will pan out until one day, he encounters another third child in the neighborhood. His world is cracked open and he is forced to stand face-to-face with hard truths as he decides whether to fight for his right to exist or to live life as he’s always known.