Among The Betrayed

Among the betrayed, by Margaret Peterson Haddix, follows Nina Idi, an illegal third child living under a dystopian regime that strictly enforces a two-child policy. After being betrayed by a boy named Jason whom she trusted, Nina is arrested by the Population Police and thrown into a bleak prison cell. An intimidating official known as "The Hating Man" presents her with an agonizing ultimatum: convince three newly captured young children (Matthias, Percy, and Alia) to confess to being illegal shadow children so the government can track down the makers of fake IDs, or refuse to cooperate and face execution. Paralyzed by the trauma of Jason's betrayal but unable to sentence the three young street children to death, Nina decides to help them escape into the woods. Following a series of grueling tests and a desperate search for safety, it is ultimately revealed that the entire imprisonment and escape were a highly calculated loyalty test engineered by the resistance leader Mr. Talbot. Having proven her ultimate courage and moral integrity, Nina passes the test and chooses to join the underground resistance movement fighting for shadow children's rights.

Story added by therealbfcofficial on October 15, 2026