Module 3 Book Review #3: Hidden

*This book review was written for a MLS course at SHSU.*

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, Helen. (2011). HIDDEN. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, & Giroux. ISBN 9780374382216

PLOT SUMMARY

Both at age fourteen, Wren and Darra attend Camp Oakwood, a summer camp in Michigan. They never personally met each other before then; however, their lives did connect at one point six years earlier. Darra’s father stole Wren’s mother’s car from a gas station, but he was not aware that Wren was actually still in the car. Frightened, eight-year old Wren hid in the back of the car so she wouldn’t be seen by her kidnapper, and when they arrive at his house, she stays hidden in the garage since there was no way to escape. Darra, who knows that her dad stole the car, hears from the news that Wren was missing, so she is convinced that Wren was somewhere in their garage, scared with no way out. Eventually, Wren gets out of the garage through a small pet door, and later on finds help. As a result, Darra’s father is arrested, and her family starts to break apart. Now that the girls are at camp together, the memories start pouring in again, and they both now have the chance to confront each other since they never knew the other side of each other’s stories.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Hidden is a verse novel told by two teenaged girls’ viewpoints. For each one, Helen Frost uses a different poetic structure. For example, for Wren, the girl who was accidentally kidnapped by Darra’s father, Frost used free verse. Wren’s thoughts and dialogue seem scattered, kind of similar to a simple song though. There could be many reasons why Frost chose to portray Wren through this poetic way, but readers can infer that perhaps it appears that way because her mind s racing with memories. What she went through is traumatic for a child, and she probably does not know how get her thoughts together since Darra is now at her summer camp. However, for Part One, Wren’s thoughts are numbered, in which Frost describes as “indicating the passage of time” in her “Diving Deeper: Notes on Form” section in the novel. This makes sense, for Wren is scared to death and doesn’t know if and when she will ever escape. Her hiding time in the garage probably seemed like an eternity for her.

As for Darra, her part seems more structured poetically. However, Frost also reveals that for Darra, “the last words of the long lines, when read down the right side of the page, give further insight into her story”. This is actually something most readers will not catch on to when reading the verse novel the first time. For example, on the part titled “I’ve Never Seen Her”, Darra realizes Wren is one of the “preppy” and “rich” girls in her assigned cabin. If the reader reads the last word of Darra’s long lines, her thought reads, “I could tell she was one of those girls who has never been hit”. Darra’s thoughts are visible in her parts; however, her deeper thoughts are simply “hidden”. When readers find out about this poetic element, it’s possible that they will go back and reread the verse novel in an effort to decode Dara’s other views.

In conclusion, the themes of friendship and forgiveness are strongly apparent in Hidden. Getting to read two viewpoints allows readers to remain unbiased in the situation and get the chance to see how everything gets settled while the two girls are at camp. The two of them are indeed very different, but whenever they give each other the chance to explain themselves, friendship overpowers the conflict, giving them the opportunity to both move on. Finally, the picture on the cover perfectly represents how two worlds collide and everybody sees situations different in their own eyes. Both girls are looking away, yet they are connected at the same time.

REVIEW EXCERPTS

*Booklist Review: “Like Frost’s Printz Honor Book, Keesha’s House (2003), this novel in verse stands out through its deliberate use of form to illuminate emotions and cleverly hide secrets in the text.”

*Kirkus Reviews Review: “Both tender and insightful, this well-crafted, fast-paced tale should have wide teen appeal.”

*Voya Review: “Many teen readers will identify with Wren and Darra and how events that happened to us when we were younger help shape the person we become.”

CONNECTIONS

*Diamond Willow and Crossing Stones are other verse novels by Helen Frost. The poems within Diamond Willow are diamond-shaped, in which the reader can make the poetic connection to the title. In Crossing Stones, monologues are written in controlled verse. Both of them are really popular with middle school readers.

*After reading Hidden, students can write their own stories in verse with fellow classmates. Students can pair up and agree with a topic both of them can write about based off life experiences. Multiple verses can be written by each student and then combined to make a story.

PICTURE SOURCE

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-by-Helen-Frost-2011-05-10/dp/B01K95NMTG/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1538580543&sr=1-5&keywords=hidden+helen+frost