Hidden by Helen Frost
Frost, H. (n.d.). Hidden. Farrar Straus Giroux. ISBN 9780374382216
Hidden follows Dara and Wren, two fourteen year old girls who are connected by one traumatic experience. Virtually strangers, Wren and Dara are fine avoiding each other until they are forced to work together at the camp they are at. Wren and Darra were left grasping for answers are the traumatic event six year ago, and now must decide if they want to relive the experience in order to reconcile.
Readers be warned, you should not expect to go into this story expecting for Wren and Darra to become best friends, Hidden is a story of two girls who are bound together due to a traumatic event that affected both girls, Wren who was kidnapped, and Darra who's father accidentally kidnapped Wren and subsequently got arrested and placed in jail for years to follow. Hidden is a story that follows these two girls who were thrust together as they try to make sense of that one night six years ago. Hidden is a story about Wren and Darra needing closure and forgiveness after everything that has happened, and Frost did a wonderful job at telling this story. At no point was I confused or bored with the story. Rather, at certain points, I was anxious with Wren as she attempted to escape, angry with Darra because he father got taken away, hesitant with both Wren and Darra as they worked up the courage to talk to each other, and this was because Helen Frost was able to masterfully convey both girls emotions and inner thoughts through the poems. Frosts' writing had you sympathizing with both girls as they struggled to overcome and forgiven each other in the role they had in each other lives six years ago when Wren was kidnapped. From the very first page, Frost has you captivated as you read through the eyes of 8 year old Wren who was accidentally kidnapped, and for the rest of the title, you are eagerly flipping pages to find out what happens next.
Novels like Hidden are my favorite types of poetry books. because reading Hidden did not feel like a typical poetry book. Rather. reading Hidden felt like reading a regular novel, that has one continuous plot that was engaging for the reader. Hidden is a poetry book that is written in two point of views, Wren's and Darra's and each point of view has its own distinctive style, Wren's parts are written in free verse, while Darra's are written in a form that was invented by the author, as per Helen Frost's notes at the end of the book. In addition to writing this book in two different point of views and two different styles of poetry, Frost does the amazing feat. of having the last words of each longer verse in Darra's point of view tell a separate story that gives the readers a more in depth understanding of what occurred on that day six years ago. Hidden offers a vast scope of strategies that can be analyzed if this book would be chosen to be read in an English class. From the different types of poetry, to analyzing how Wren being kidnapped negatively affect each girl, to how Frost managed to created stories using the last words of Darra's longest verse, are some of the few examples. Due to the length of the book and the topics being discussed (ie. kidnapping, abuse, trauma) this book is best suited for an older age group.
Booklist said Hidden is a "novel in verse [that] stands out through its deliberates use of form to illuminate emotions and cleverly hide secrets in the text." Myra from Gathering Books says that "[Hidden] is very fast paced, the suspense builds up pretty quickly - and you await in bated breath what happens next." Readers who enjoyed Hidden will also enjoy House Arrest by K. A. Holt, another novel in verse that follows Timmy, a young boy who made a bad choice and now is under house arrest. Students who read this as a class can discuss Wren's and Darra's emotions and discuss who if both girls feelings were justified, and if so, have them find evidence that supports their claims. Additionally, as Darra's form of poetry was invented for this book, challenge students to create their own form poetry!
Some of Hidden's Many Awards:
- William Allan White Award - 2014 Winner, Kansas, Grades 6-8
- Lee Bennett Hopkins Children's Poetry Award, Honor Book
- ALA Notable Book
- Kirkus Review's Best Children's books of 2011
- 2016 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award (Illinois)
- 2013-2014 Young Hoosier Book Award, Indiana
Frost, H. (n.d.). Hidden. Farrar Straus Giroux.
Garces-Bacsal, M. (2011, December 22). Finding family and friendship in Helen Frost’s hidden. Gathering Books. https://gatheringbooks.org/2011/12/22/finding-family-and-friendship-in-helen-frosts-hidden/\
Hidden, by Helen Frost: Booklist online. Booklist Online. (2011, April 1). https://www.booklistonline.com/Hidden-Helen-Frost/pid=4735139
Hidden. Helen Frost. (2021, April 12). https://www.helenfrost.net/books/novels-in-poems/hidden/
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