In this dystopian tale perfect for middle schoolers, it is the late 21st century. Eldests, children born first in their family, are revered, touted for their bravery and heroism. These are the children who, at age 14, are sent to military camp to fight in the Quiet War, so named because their sacrifice allows everyone else to live safely in the town of Fennis Wick, never to be bothered by the dangerous Wanderers who live beyond the town’s boundaries. Maggie is an 11 year old middler, a middle child who like other second borns is often ignored by her own family. She is very aware that her older brother Jed is turning 14 and is treated with the reverence and respect reserved for these firstborn children. Aware that none of the eldests have ever returned from the war, Maggie fully believes the doctrines that she has been taught. When she discovers a Wanderer girl in hiding, however, Maggie decides she wants to be a hero like Jed and sets out to capture the girl and turn her into the leaders of Fennis Wick. But once Maggie ventures past the hedges of the boundary for the first time, suddenly everything she’s ever known about her isolated town gets turned on its head. Are the Wanderers really dangerous threats to the people of Fennis Wick and why have none of the Eldests even come home again?