BookBright
ABOUT THE BOOK
NO SPOILERSTwelve-year-old Luke Garner has spent his entire life hidden inside his family's farmhouse because he is a third child, illegal under the government's strict Population Law. When the woods behind the farm are cleared to make way for a new housing development, Luke loses his only outdoor refuge and is confined to the attic. Watching the neighborhood through a vent in the roof one afternoon, he catches a glimpse of a face in the window of a house where only two children are supposed to live, and he begins to wonder if he might not be as alone as he thought.
Free Battle of the Books questions for Among the Hidden
SPOILERSEvery one of these has the same answer, and that is the point. In a real battle the question is read aloud with a dozen other books in play, and students have a few seconds to place it. Here is what a battle might ask about Among the Hidden. Use them as a quiz, a trivia round, or BOTB practice.
Where in the book they come from
- Early in the book
In what book does a boy eat every meal sitting on the bottom step of a staircase?
✓ Answer
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
While workers are still building the new houses nearby, Luke's father decides it's too risky for Luke to be in the kitchen, since keeping the shades pulled on a hot day would make people suspicious. Luke's chair is removed, and he eats on the stairs behind the door, watching his family of four at the table without him.
- First half
In what book does a boy find a sliding-glass screen door locked and plunge his hand through the screen?
✓ Answer
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Luke never considered that the screen door might be locked. Standing completely exposed, he panics as every second passes. His brain tells him to turn back, but instead his hand punches through the screen so he can reach the lock from inside. The wire scrapes his hand and arm.
- First half
In what book does a boy taste illegal potato chips and barely resist grabbing handfuls?
✓ Answer
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Jen offers Luke illegal junk food and he cautiously tries one chip, then another, then another. These chips are nothing like the stale years-old bag his mother once shared with him. Luke can barely control himself around them, and Jen asks if he goes hungry sometimes.
- Second half
In what book does a boy accidentally suggest hydroponics to his father after reading about it in a borrowed book?
✓ Answer
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
While playing cards with his dad, Luke blurts out an idea about growing food indoors using water and special minerals. He picked it up from one of Jen's population books. Dad gets so excited about the idea that he starts going to the library and buying plastic tubing, which keeps him busy and out of the house.
- Second half
In what book does a girl hack into government staffing schedules to give certain officers unexpected days off?
✓ Answer
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Jen spent a month learning to hack computers so she could alter the Population Police staffing schedules. She selectively eliminated the officers who would be along the route to the rally, clearing the way for hidden children to travel to the capital safely.
- Near the end
In what book does a boy desperately listen to the radio for days, hoping for news about a protest?
✓ Answer
Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
After the rally, Luke keeps sneaking the radio on whenever he can, desperate for any report about what happened. But all he hears is news about cattle getting loose and alfalfa harvests. The silence is agonizing because he has no way to find out if Jen is alive.
