“Yeah. And I put special poison in one of the loaves, that only affects fourteen-year-olds,” Luke said. He pantomimed death, clutching his hands around his own neck, letting his tongue hang out of his mouth, and lolling his head to the side. “If you’re nice to me, I’ll tell you which loaf is safe.” (pg. 46) (verbal irony)
After being teased by his brother because of the tasteless, lumpy bread he made, Luke pokes back at his sibling by telling him that the bread is in fact poisoned, and will only work on fourteen-year-olds. This is ironic because Luke's brother initially said that the bread tasted like poison.
The Locked Door (dramatic irony)
Luke plans his route to the Sports Family house very carefully, but when he finally reaches their door, he finds that it's locked. This is ironic because all of his careful planning could not have prepared him for this.
Making a Difference (dramatic irony)
When Luke and Jen argue about Luke's attendance at Jen's rally, Luke says, "It's people like you who change history. People like me--we just let things happen to us" (pg. 117). Ironically, Jen will die at the rally, while Luke will live on and find ways to help the Shadow Children.
Totalitarian Laws (situational irony)
As is often the case, the totalitarian laws that the Government enacts in an effort to exert control over the populous actually end up undermining the Government's control by inciting rebellion. The Government tries to control population size through a limitation on children per household, yet this only leads the third children to ultimately revolt.
