Hidden

Written by Helen Frost

Narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson and Maria Cabezas

Award-winning poet Helen Frost received the Michael L. Printz Honor for her acclaimed debut novel, Keesha's House. Written in free verse, Hidden is a compelling tale about an unlikely friendship between two girls. Darra Monson and Wren Abbott first cross paths when Darra's deadbeat dad is arrested for theft and kidnapping after he steals a car- unaware that Wren was sitting in the back. Years later, the girls- now teens- attend the same summer camp, and are forced to confront the fateful event that changed their lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 1, 2012
• ISBN: 9781464048913

Helen Frost

Helen Frost is the author of several books for young people, including Hidden, Diamond Willow, Crossing Stones, The Braid, and Keesha’s House, selected an Honor Book for the Michael L. Printz Award. Helen Frost was born in 1949 in South Dakota, the fifth of ten children. She recalls the summer her family moved from South Dakota to Oregon, traveling in a big trailer and camping in places like the Badlands and Yellowstone. Her father told the family stories before they went to sleep, and Helen would dream about their travels, her family, and their old house. “That’s how I became a writer,” she says. “I didn’t know it at the time, but all those things were accumulating somewhere inside me.” As a child, she loved to travel, think, swim, sing, learn, canoe, write, argue, sew, play the piano, play softball, play with dolls, daydream, read, go fishing, and climb trees. Now, when she sits down to write, her own experiences become the details of her stories. Helen has lived in South Dakota, Oregon, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont, Scotland, Colorado, Alaska, California, and Indiana. She currently lives in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her family.

Reviews for Hidden

[howifeelaboutbooks · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful verse novel told from two girls’ alternating points of view. When Wren was eight years old, her mother’s van was carjacked at the site of a robbery - and Wren was in the backseat. The carjacker was Darra’s father, who thought he just stole a car, but when the van was parked in Darra’s garage, Darra realized that the girl from the news, Wren, was inside. They encounter each other years later, each ashamed in different ways about what happened many years ago. The story is incredibly interesting and moving, and there is a hidden (no pun intended) code in the poetry that adds another dimension to the book once you’re finished. Highly recommended!

[reader1009-863136 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

teen fiction (in verse); unintentional kidnapping trauma new girl at summer camp hoping that no one finds out her dad is in prison for said kidnapping. Told in the voices of the kidnapped girl (Wren) and the girl whose dad kidnapped her (Darra). Each voice has its own form of poetic verse; it's not terrible poetry but Darra's voice just looks like randomly broken
up sentences
which turns out to be for no reason
other than that the author wanted to hide
sentences
in the words at the end of the longest lines--
and,
when this tactic is revealed
in the author's note at the end, the reader goes back through
the whole book only to learn
nothing
much new--at all.
Which is maybe just as well since they were likely to miss it in the first place, but still--a little reward for the trouble would've been nice. So, that was kinda pointless, though easier to read than some other books in verse I can think of. The other (big) beef I had with this book was that it felt incredibly manipulated and forced. If you can suspend your disbelief long enough to buy into the whole circumstances of these two girls (one's mom left her 8-year-old and her keys in her car unattended while she ran into the minimart to buy something at the same moment when the minimart was being robbed; several years later the girls happen to meet at the same summer camp? and oh, the kidnapped girl's mom's cousin also spent time in prison, as did (other kid at camp) Jeremy's dad?), there's still the whole race thing. Looking at the cover the reader immediately knows it will come into play somewhere; the author is careful not to describe either girl's appearance until the middle of the book--Darra (child of a convicted robber/kidnapper) turns out to be the white girl and the black girl is Wren (whose parents, it's possible, could've been African American hippies to name their child so). Obviously stereotypes exist and it's good that readers are made to challenge how they think--but does it have to feel so deliberate? This might have been an amazing story otherwise.

[thursbest · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good read, it went with a good pace, but I just felt like it was a quick read, as if a friend was telling you their encounter. The kidnapping part and the POV of Wren after was sad to read. I'll admit I cried at the ending though, when Darra introduced Wren to her mom.

[asomers_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a book written in verse with an ingenious hidden narrative running throughout the story.

[kissedbyink · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Novels in verse have grown on me. Hidden was a quick read because I needed to know what would happen to the girls at camp. Dual POV shown as different poetry patterns was refreshing.

[sullywriter_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another excellent novel in verse from Helen Frost, impressively structured and richly layered.

[amaraduende · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Two girls, two types of poetry, two viewpoints about a traumatic event.

[mrsoliva · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fans of Peg Kehret's Stolen Children and Runaway Twin will certainly want to read this unique book. Author Helen Frost alternates between her two main characters Wren Abbott and Darra Monson to tell the story of a car-jacking gone wrong. Wren is only eight years old when Darra's father steals her mother's car along with Wren who is hidden in the trunk. Wren spends a terrifying few days inside the Monson's garage, hearing Darra's father abuse his family. Darra attempts to help Wren, but the two don't exactly meet until six years after the abduction when Darra's father is in jail and the two girls coincidentally end up in the same cabin at summer camp. Can they overcome the horrible circumstances that connected them as children and realize friendship as teenagers? You must read Hidden to find out.

[tfs93 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I wasn't sure that I would enjoy a novel in verse. Surprisingly, I liked the story, and the verse format did not detract from that. I thought the author did a good job of showing the feelings of the two main characters. I could relate to the way that they both felt and thought the storyline was realistic for their age. This is my first novel by Frost, but I wouldn't turn down a second.

[kellyoliva_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fans of Peg Kehret's Stolen Children and Runaway Twin will certainly want to read this unique book. Author Helen Frost alternates between her two main characters Wren Abbott and Darra Monson to tell the story of a car-jacking gone wrong. Wren is only eight years old when Darra's father steals her mother's car along with Wren who is hidden in the trunk. Wren spends a terrifying few days inside the Monson's garage, hearing Darra's father abuse his family. Darra attempts to help Wren, but the two don't exactly meet until six years after the abduction when Darra's father is in jail and the two girls coincidentally end up in the same cabin at summer camp. Can they overcome the horrible circumstances that connected them as children and realize friendship as teenagers? You must read Hidden to find out.

[bornbookish · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hidden is told from two alternating points-of-views, Wren and Darra. Wren’s sections are told in free verse, while Darra’s sections are told in a unique form created by the author specifically for this book.This idea of an unintentional kidnapping was very intriguing to me. Wren is in the backseat of her mom’s minivan when it gets stolen. Too afraid to say anything, Wren stays hidden until the car comes to a stop where she finds herself closed in a garage. While hidden in the garage Wren learns about the man who took her and his family, which includes a daughter the same age as herself. The two girls never speak, they never even see each other, but it is with her help that Wren is able to stay hidden long enough to come up with a plan and make her escape.Years later the two girls end up in the same cabin at summer camp. At first they both try to ignore each other and the past, but the past soon becomes too big a burden that neither of them can ignore anymore.Wren and Darra were both likable main characters who were easy to sympathize with. Both girls had been affected by this event in their pasts, but it had changed their lives in different ways. The main focus of the story was definitely character growth as we see these two girls overcome their painful past and start to forge a strong friendship that will continue into the future.The thing I really liked was how creative the author was with this unique form of storytelling. The poems told from Darra’s view were created in a way that when you read the last word of all the long lines straight down the page from top to bottom it tells you more of the story. I thought this was a really unique and fun way to bring more depth to the story. Once I had finished the book, I saw the authors note on this and really enjoyed flipping back through the book to read these little bits on Darra’s life that give us a bit of a deeper look into her side of things, and how life changed for her as well as Wren.Overall, this was a unique and enjoyable read. It’s the first of Helen Frost’s books that I’ve read but it certainly won’t be my last.

[emjungman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hidden is a great book about two girls named Darra and Wren whos lives completely changed after an incident. Wren is very frightened and the only thing she has with her is her doll Kamara. Darra's dad is an abusive, unemployed mechanic, that steals cars and then sells them. Darra is scared of her dad but still loves him but Darra doesn't want her dad to find out that she is helping Wren. A few years later the two girls meet up again at summer camp where they find themselves avoiding eachother. A few days later when they find out they are in some of the same classes in summer camp they start to talk to eachother and find out what actually happened a few years earlier. I didn't have any dislikes about this book. I thought it was a great book and a very quick read as it switches every chapter between the two girls talking.

[kcombest-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Hidden is a fantastic book by Helen Frost. At a young age, something very significant has changed Wren and Darra's life. Wren is alone, scared, worried. In the mix of all that, Darra does not know what is taking place in her garage. Later in life , they meet up again at Camp Okawood in Cabin 8. Both of them very hesitangt to talk to one another, but both discovered what truely happended and how their life has changed since then. The book gives you both point of view's, Wren and Darra's. You can see how they feel and what is going through their heads. I totally recommend this book for all ages and genders. You wont quit reading espically with the cliffhangers it leaves after every chapter.

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A short novel in verse, this tells two girls' stories revolving around their shared experience as 8 year olds. Wren was inadvertently abducted by Darra's abusive and thieving father, and Dara tried to help her out. When they meet at camp as 14 year olds, their friendship is not automatic. The author's note at the end of the book would be helpful to have placed at the beginning. The "invented" form whereby the last word of Darra's lines form other sentences, while clever, does not work smoothly, since not all lines are included or obvious.

[agrudzien_5 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Quick read because it is told in free verse, but it still has a great emotional impact. Darra's father steals a minivan not knowing that Wren was left in the back seat. After taking the van home, he still doesn't realize she is there. Darra knows Wren is still in the garage, though her father thinks she has run off. Wren must find a way to escape without detection and Darra must find a way to forgive her father.

[abbylibrarian_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The dramatic premise of this story and the ripped-from-the-headlines beginning are certain to appeal to young teens. The book's tween-appropriate while still feeling YA enough (not too young). After the dramatic beginning, this is very much a summer story, a camp story, a story about girls becoming friends, a story about family and how family issues can affect kids.

[skraftdesigns · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When I saw that the book was written in verse I panicked at first- but I didn't need to. This book reads easily and warmly. A girl, Wren, is left in the family minivan in the parking lot of a supermarket while her mom goes in to shop. Wren hears a gunshot, and a man gets in the minivan and drives away while Wren hides, terrified in the back. When the man finally parks in his garage, Wren spends a couple of scary days hiding in the unfamiliar garage, listening to the man yell at and possibly beat the adult woman and the young girl, Darra, inside the house. Darra becomes aware that Wren is hiding in their garage, partly because the girl's disappearance is all over the news. Wren manages to escape, which leads the police to Darra's house and lands Darra's dad in prison for a long time. Flash forward a few years, and the two girls end up at the same summer camp. they know who each other is from the news reports and from the news reports and from the unusual names. Will they be able to come to terms with the wrenching events of their past? Is friendship at all possible? I really liked this book, and I think middle school readers will too.

[skstiles612 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved the premise of the book when I read about it online. When I received a copy for review I was thrilled. The story is told in poetry and alternating points of view. You have Wren's story about being inadvertently kidnapped by Darra's father. Then you have Darra's story. It is obvious that they blame each other for what they perceive to be the truth. It isn't until they end up at the same camp that they learn each other's stories. At first they try to ignore each other. When they are finally put in a situation where they must face each other, then the healing can begin. I kept thinking how I would feel if I was each of them. They each were right in their feelings if you look at their situation through their eyes. The one thing I really loved about this book was the author's note that told you about a special form. If you read the author's note she tells you how to go back into Darra's story and read it a special way to get a hidden story. This was simple, yet suspenseful. This is a book that didn't even make it to my school shelves before it was checked out. An excellent book to recommend to everyone, especially to reluctant readers. They see the short lines and think they can read it. Once they get into the story they are hooked.