Among the Hidden: Chapters 22–30

by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In this dystopian novel, famine and overpopulation has led to a strict Population Law that limits families to two children. Luke, an illegal third child, must spend his life in hiding — but when he meets Jen, another third child, he becomes involved in a dangerous plan to challenge the Population Law.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15, Chapters 16–21, Chapters 22–30
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. unwavering
    marked by firm determination or resolution
    Jen faced him squarely, her gaze unwavering.
  2. fervently
    with strong emotion or zeal
    He fervently hoped she’d thought of all the details about the rally.
  3. deranged
    driven insane
    After a week, Luke did feel deranged. Every time anyone spoke to him, he jumped.
  4. banter
    light teasing repartee
    The screen went blank, with none of the friendly banter that had magically appeared every time he’d watched Jen.
  5. accusatory
    containing or expressing blame
    “So what else did you and Jen do together?” the man said. Luke couldn’t understand why he sounded so accusatory.
  6. bereavement
    state of sorrow over the death or departure of a loved one
    “And we couldn’t even bury her in the family plot. Couldn’t take a bereavement day off work. Couldn’t tell anyone why we’re going around with red eyes and aching hearts. No — we just had to pretend to be the same old family of four we’d always been.”
  7. totalitarian
    of a government with an authority exerting absolute control
    There have been too many lies for too long. Our Government is totalitarian, and totalitarian governments never like truth.
  8. curtail
    place restrictions on
    If food had been distributed fairly...if people hadn't panicked...if we'd had good leaders being honest about the need for everyone’s cooperation...we could have survived the crisis without curtailing anyone’s rights.
  9. exempt
    freed from or not subject to an obligation or liability
    But the Population Law became General Sherwood’s proudest accomplishment. That’s why even Barons aren’t exempt.
  10. guerrilla
    a member of an irregular army that fights a stronger force
    Are you so low-ranking that you don’t know I was pretending to be the guerrilla leader Jen all along?
  11. commendation
    an official award given as formal public statement
    Did you miss the commendation ceremony where I was rewarded for the disposal of forty illegals?
  12. indifference
    the trait of remaining calm and seeming not to care
    Luke was stunned by the indifference in Jen's father’s voice.
  13. lackey
    a servile or submissive follower
    I have power now. Tomorrow, probably. Next week????? Next year????? Can’t tell with our Gov’t. Favored lackey one day, persona non grata the next. Never know. No guarantees.
  14. persona non grata
    an individual who for some reason is not wanted or welcome
    I have power now. Tomorrow, probably. Next week????? Next year????? Can’t tell with our Gov’t. Favored lackey one day, persona non grata the next. Never know. No guarantees.
  15. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    He could see just the roof of Jen’s house beyond the sparse line of trees.
Created on Fri Oct 05 18:04:48 EDT 2018 (updated Mon Jul 28 13:40:36 EDT 2025)

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