Children of Exile #1 by Margaret Peterson Haddix

My name is Rosi, and my little brother Bobo and I have finally been reunited with our real parents. We've been raised in Fredtown since birth, and the Freds are the only parents we've ever known. They taught us respect, honesty, and empathy for others. However, the parents and everyone else in this rundown neighborhood seem to hate me, and I don't know why. My mother even slapped me in the face! Nobody will talk about what happened around here or explain why so many people suffer from missing body parts or other disabilities. This is not the life the Freds taught us. I'm fearing more and more for Bobo's safety. Something horrible happened here, and I've got to uncover the untold secrets. 

First off, you'll need to get over all adults in Fredtown being called Fred. It was weird, but it contributed to their generic, institutional characterizations. This dystopian novel read like a mystery, as Haddix presented many questions to create the conflict. Why were the children taken from their parents at birth, and why were they being returned now? Why did the adults hate Rosi? Why weren't there other children around that were older than her? The answers to these questions were surprising for Rosi but weren't revealed until the last fourth of the book. This resulted in most of the plot being  about a girl trying to solve a mystery with little freedom to actually investigate. My biggest problem with the book was the treatment of the kids. As a retired teacher, it really bothered me to read about the mistreatment of kids. It was more mental abuse than physical, and the adults didn't offer much affection to others, even other adults. The book's resolution reveals some truths that will change the focus of the rest of the series. Overall, I'm sure many readers will enjoy this novel, as Haddix has a loyal following. I probably won't read the sequel, but I'm not going to pass judgment and say you shouldn't give it a shot.