HIDDEN by Helen Frost

Review by Christi De Leon

1.    BIBLIOGRAPHY

Frost, Helen. Hidden. New York: Farrar, 2011. ISBN 9780374382216

2.    PLOT SUMMARY

This book tells the story of two eight year old girls, Wren and Darra. Darra’s dad steals a car, unaware that Wren was in the back seat. Wren hides herself inside of a boat in their garage for awhile, eventually escaping. The two girls end up going to the same camp several years later where tension builds between them. During their stay at camp, they encounter each other during a game called Drown Last, piece together what had happened, discover the truth, and form a meaningful friendship.

3.    CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Hidden is a verse novel that uniquely tells an emotional story from two alternating viewpoints, Wren and Darra. The vivid details allow the reader to visualize what is taking place as the girls face their individual experiences, and develop a bond at camp a few years later. The entire book is written as thoughts, emotions, actions, and reactions of the two girls. The poetic structure differs for the two points of view, possibly signifying the differences as characters themselves. Free verse was used for Wren’s lines, while Darra’s lines were written in an inventive way. By reading the last word of each long line, the reader gains added insight into Darra’s story as memories from her past unfold. I’m particularly intrigued by the poet’s talent in smoothly making this happen, while not hindering each individual poem in the process. Helen Frost includes a helpful section that explains the two forms of poetry she used in this novel.

Towards the end of the book, a particular pivotal moment was captured for Wren and Darra. Referring to Camp Oakwood, Wren says, “We’ve all left home and school behind, and we can be whoever we want to be.” The poem continues with how both girls love to dance. Their very different paths align just for a moment, but in turn they create a lifelong bond. Overall, the natural emotions of the characters are portrayed, and the true meaning of friendship is defined in this insightful poetic novel.

4.    REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

2012 ALA Notable Book

Sylvia Vardell’s “Top 20 Children’s Poetry Books of 2011”

From Booklist: “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.” 

From VOYA: “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.” 

5.    CONNECTIONS

Gather other Helen Frost books to read such as:

Salt: A Story of Friendship in a Time of War. ISBN 1250062895

Diamond Willow. ISBN 0312603835

Gather similar stories to read such as:

Cooney, Caroline B. The Face on the Milk Carton. ISBN 038574238X

Possible Activities:

Discuss how Wren’s point of view differed from Darra’s by finding examples from the story.

Note how each girl’s story follows its individual structure. Have students write about which structure they find to be more favorable and give reasoning.