Shadow Children Books in Order
Shadow Children by Margaret Peterson Haddix contains 7 books, published between 1998 and 2006. The first book is Among the Hidden (1998) and the newest is Among the Free (2006). Publication order is the reading order below.
- Books
- 7
- Published
- 1998–2006
- Confirmed
- 7 of 7 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,147 in 6 of 7 books
- Reading time
- 19–29 hours
Reading time is an estimate, not a recorded figure: 1,147 pages at 300 words a page, read at 200–300 words a minute, covering the 6 of 7 titles with a page count on record.
Shadow Children is a seven-book dystopian series for young readers by Margaret Peterson Haddix. Drought and food shortages give a totalitarian government its pretext for capping families at two children, and a force called the Population Police hunts the third-borns, killing or jailing them; those hidden third children are the shadow children of the title, and a forged identification card is one way one of them passes as legitimate. The run opens with Among the Hidden (1998) and closes with Among the Free (2006). Every title begins with the word Among.
How many Shadow Children books are there?
Shadow Children has 7 books, released between 1998 and 2006.
Shadow Children Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 7 Shadow Children books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 2Among the Impostors2001 · 172 pages · confirmed 4/420011724/4
- 3Among the Betrayed2002 · 156 pages · confirmed 4/420021564/4
- 4Among the Barons2003 · 182 pages · confirmed 4/420031824/4
- 5Among the Brave2004 · 229 pages · confirmed 4/420042294/4
- 6Among the Enemy2005 · 214 pages · confirmed 4/420052144/4
- 7Among the Free2006 · 194 pages · confirmed 4/420061944/4
Is there a chronological order for Shadow Children?
No separate chronological order is on record for Shadow Children, because none of the book listings this catalogue draws on publishes one; the publication order above is the only order given.
Do you have to read Shadow Children books in order?
You should read the Shadow Children books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each Shadow Children book also stands alone.
Where to start with Shadow Children
Start with Among the Hidden (1998), the earliest published title.
What is the newest Shadow Children book?
Among the Free (2006) is the newest Shadow Children book released so far.
Is there a new Shadow Children book coming?
No next Shadow Children book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
Shadow Children at a glance
- No recent titles
- The newest Shadow Children title on record dates from 2006, 20 years ago. No later title is catalogued.
- Release pace
- Shadow Children books have appeared about one a year on average.
- Length
- 1,147 pages across the 6 of 7 books with a recorded length, a median of 188 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most Shadow Children books, 6 of 7, were published in the 2000s.
- Corroboration
- 7 of the 7 titles appear in all four independent book listings.
What the Shadow Children books are about
All 7 Shadow Children books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: science fiction is tagged on 7 of 7. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Science fiction 7 of 7 books
- Children's fiction 6 of 7 books
- Conduct of life 3 of 7 books
- Dystopian Fiction 2 of 7 books
- Young adult fiction 2 of 7 books
More books by Margaret Peterson Haddix
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.