Among the Impostors

Lore & Background

The novel follows twelve-year-old Luke Garner, who is brought to Hendricks School for Boys by Mr. Talbot, the father of his deceased best friend Jen. Luke is an illegal third child under the country's Population Law, and after Jen's death it is no longer safe for him to hide on his parents' farm. Mr. Talbot arranges for Luke to assume the identity of a dead boy named Lee Grant and enroll at Hendricks, an exclusive boarding school. Overwhelmed by the hundreds of boys and the constant surveillance, Luke struggles to blend in and eventually discovers a group of other illegal shadow children led by a boy named Jason, a fellow shadow child who helps Luke.

Reader's Guide

Among the Impostors expands the world of the Shadow Children series by moving the protagonist from rural hiding to an institutional setting. The book explores themes of identity, fear, and resistance, as Luke learns to navigate a system designed to expose him. Its significance lies in developing the series' central conflict between the Population Police and the shadow children, introducing key characters like Jason (a traitorous informant) and George Talbot (a double agent). The novel sets up future plotlines and deepens the reader's understanding of the underground network aiding illegal children. Its legacy is as a pivotal installment that bridges the initial survival story of Among the Hidden with the larger rebellion to come.

Did You Know?

• Luke Garner takes the name and identity of Lee Grant, a boy who died just before the novel opens.
• The Hendricks School for Boys has no windows anywhere in the building.
• Jason is a fellow shadow child who helps Luke, not an antagonist.
• Mr. Talbot is a member of the resistance who helps shadow children, not a double agent.