As 14-year-olds Wren and Darra meet at a Michigan summer camp, both are overwhelmed by memories from six years earlier when Darra's father stole a ...
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Dec 27, 2011
Wendy
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Very likely this author's books are just never going to connect with me. I didn't loathe it the way I loathed Diamond Willow, but I didn't think it was very good. It seems to me a bad sign when you have to explain the new poetic form in the back of the book in order for readers to see what it is you're trying to do--god help me, this concept worked better in Diamond Willow--but after I went back to read the secret messages, I didn't think they added to the story anyway.
I think it's gre More...
I think it's gre More...
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Feb 22, 2012
Arthur
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Reading Level: Grade 6-8
When Mrs. Abbott went into the gas station to pay for the gas, her eight-year-old daughter Wren asked to stay in the car to listen to music. It was the biggest mistake either of them would ever make.
When shots rang out, Wren hid under a blanket on the floor of the van. She was relieved when her mother came back and started the car until she smelled the smoke...her mother didn't smoke cigarettes. Wren froze. She stayed under the blanket during the l More...
When Mrs. Abbott went into the gas station to pay for the gas, her eight-year-old daughter Wren asked to stay in the car to listen to music. It was the biggest mistake either of them would ever make.
When shots rang out, Wren hid under a blanket on the floor of the van. She was relieved when her mother came back and started the car until she smelled the smoke...her mother didn't smoke cigarettes. Wren froze. She stayed under the blanket during the l More...
Nov 11, 2011
Renee
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 05, 2011
Richie
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15 May 2011 HIDDEN by Helen Frost, Frances Foster Books/FSG, May 2011, 160p., ISBN: 978-0-374-38221-6
"Whoosh!
What do you do when all of a sudden your dad is gone and the
rest of your life is nothing
like it was before. We had plans
to go back to the lake -- we'd be going back every summer!
Dad and Mom had already saved up almost
all the vacation and money they needed.
And then, whoosh! First Dad lost his job, and 'started a business More...
"Whoosh!
What do you do when all of a sudden your dad is gone and the
rest of your life is nothing
like it was before. We had plans
to go back to the lake -- we'd be going back every summer!
Dad and Mom had already saved up almost
all the vacation and money they needed.
And then, whoosh! First Dad lost his job, and 'started a business More...
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Nov 01, 2011
Kelly
rated it:
This reminded me a little bit of April Henry's "Girl Stolen" from the beginning, though that shifts when the story goes from Darra and Wren being 8 to them being 14.
The verse format is spot on. I think Frost is a master at this style, as it's seamless and the story works with it. She doesn't try to cram a story into the form or vice versa.
That said, I guess I wanted more. I get what's at stake and the tension but I could have used more. This is a sparse book a More...
The verse format is spot on. I think Frost is a master at this style, as it's seamless and the story works with it. She doesn't try to cram a story into the form or vice versa.
That said, I guess I wanted more. I get what's at stake and the tension but I could have used more. This is a sparse book a More...
Oct 01, 2011
Barbara
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Aug 18, 2011
Allison
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When Wren and Darra meet in summer camp, a flash of recognition touches them both. What they cannot bear to discuss as young adults is the experience that united them as children: Darra's father, now in prison, in stealing a family car unwittingly kidnapped Wren. As Wren hid in his garage, terrified beyond measure, Darra realized what had happened and left food out for her. After several days, Wren finally escaped and was found by police, who then tracked down the man who had accidentally trauma
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Jul 08, 2011
Reesa
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May 13, 2011
Sandra
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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 finall
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Sep 12, 2011
Tracey
rated it: 
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 word More...
up sentences
which turns out to be for no reason
other than that the author wanted to hide
sentences
in the word More...
Aug 12, 2011
Chelsea
rated it:
I'm not a huge fan of novels in verse, though I do appreciate how quickly I am able to read them. But the premise of this one really intrigued me. At eight years old, Wren is accidentally kidnapped when a man steals her family car with her in it. Locked in his garage, she hides for days, secretly being aided by the man's daughter, Darra, who wants to help Wren escape in a way that won't incriminate her father. But before Darra can act, Wren escapes on her own, and Darra's father is sent to priso
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Oct 03, 2011
Anne
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The constant: Helen Frost will use amazing forms of poetry to tell her story. The variable: Helen Frost will jump from genre to genre as she creates wonderfully engaging, thoughtful characters and well-realized worlds. Darra’s unemployed dad has taken to stealing cars and he does not realize that eight year old Wren is tucked into the backseat of his latest acquisition. Wren manages to conceal herself in the back seat but is trapped in the family garage where Darra’s father is re-painting t
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Sep 20, 2011
Karen
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It's hard to imagine how Helen Frost thought of this rather odd plot about two girls whose paths cross twice in significant ways. When Darra and Wren are both 8 years old, Darra's father steals a minivan without realizing that Wren is hiding in the back seat. Wren ends up trapped in Darra's family's garage for almost 2 days before escaping; only Darra realizes that she is there. Darra's father eventually goes to prison for the crime, with profound effects on his family. Six years later Darra
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Sep 28, 2011
Becky
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This book is on my Newbery short list! The premise is believeable and riviting. Wren and Darra alternate telling their stories. The beginning is a flashback where Wren sets up the crime. When she was 8 years old, her mother ran into a convenience store and left Wren in the car with the keys so that she could play the radio. She hears one gun shot and, frightened, hides under a blanket in the rear of the car. A man, reeking of cigarette smoke, jumps into the car and drives off, unaware that Wren
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Aug 12, 2011
Lisa
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This book really pulled me in from the beginning. Eight year old Wren is running errands with her mother. Her mother goes into the store just for a minute while Wren waits in the van. Then a strange man gets into the van and takes off. Wren hides and eventually finds herself parked in this strange man's garage. For two days she hides in the garage til she finds a way out. One person does realize she is there. The strange man has an 8 yr. old daughter. They never speak or meet face to face but th
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Jul 01, 2011
Elizabeth
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If poems had been introduced to me as a child as puzzles, maybe I would have taken to them a little more. A poem is a kind of puzzle, isn't it? Depending on the kind of poem you have to make the syllables and words conform to a preexisting format. Unless it's free verse, of course. Then all bets are off. That's what you do when you're writing a poem, but can reading one be an act of puzzle-solving as well? Earlier this year I reviewed Bob Raczka's Lemonade: and Other Poems Squeezed from a Single Word
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Aug 15, 2011
Becky
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Ages 10-14. Wren is in her mother's car when it is stolen, the thief not aware that she is hiding in the back. Inside the thief's garage, she escapes into a boat in the garage, where the thief's daughter Darra suspects she is hiding, and leaves her food and water. Wren escapes; Darra's father is sent to jail. Years later, they meet at summer camp--Darra hating Wren for sending her father to prison, Wren tortured by memories she thought she'd gotten over. As they try to avoid each other, each gir
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Aug 21, 2011
Jennifer
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Jan 14, 2012
Heather
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At the age of eight, Wren was accidentally kidnapped by Darra's father, as she was hiding in the car he stole. Darra and Wren have never met face to face, until this summer, when they coincidentally both attend the same summer camp. And even after seven years, they automaticallynrecognize each other. Will their unusual past bring them together, or rip them apart? Will all the feelings they've kept hidden resurface?
Told in alternating voices and prose, their experiences from the past are re More...
Told in alternating voices and prose, their experiences from the past are re More...
Jun 21, 2011
Debbie
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Hidden is the story of two girls, Wren and Darra. Their connection to each other begins when they are eight years old when Wren is kidnapped. Darra's father robs a gas station, then steals a minivan. What he doesn't know is that Wren is inside. She hides herself fearing for her life. He takes the minivan home and hides it in his garage. Later in the day, news coverage announces that police are searching for Wren. Wren hides herself in the garage hoping that she will not be discovered until
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Sep 08, 2011
Christopher
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An interesting story of two girls unknowingly connected by a traumatic incident from their childhood, Hidden is one of Helen Frost's better books in years, though not without its flaws. Wren's story seemed to be a little contrived for me. For me, Hidden is all about Darra. Darra's story is what makes this book shine. You can definitely feel Darra's emotions come alive. The ending seemed like a cop out to me, but there are those who read this that will think it's the perfect ending.
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Aug 07, 2011
Kate
rated it:
The premise of this book should hook kids right from the start: When one girl is accidentally abducted when her mother's car is stolen, the daughter of the car thief, a child the same age, quietly helps her by bringing her food while she's hiding in the family's garage. Years later, those same girls meet at summer camp, recognize one another, and come face to face (literally) with the past that connects them.
Written in verse, with two unique voices and an unusual format twist, this More...
Written in verse, with two unique voices and an unusual format twist, this More...
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Nov 27, 2011
Sherry
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When Wren was 8 she was inadvertently kidnapped. She hid in the perpetrators garage for 2 days looking for escape. Darra knew Wren was in the garage, but didn't say anything. Wren eventually escaped, and Darra's family was split up. Six years later Wren and Darra meet each face to face at a local summer camp. Emotions are high and questions remain. Will Wren get over the past? Will Darra forgive Wren?
A good "in-verse" novel for those dealing with past issues and tryi More...
A good "in-verse" novel for those dealing with past issues and tryi More...
Jul 18, 2011
Talia
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I loved the plot of this story. It's very interesting to think about how if Darra's grandmother hadn't had given the four weeks at camp to Darra in her will, Wren and Darra probably never would have met again, especially since they came from two very different social classes.
I really liked the writing in this book. Each of the main characters' point of view pieces were written in different styles of poetry, and although I don't usually love poetry, I really enjoyed this. I also real More...
I really liked the writing in this book. Each of the main characters' point of view pieces were written in different styles of poetry, and although I don't usually love poetry, I really enjoyed this. I also real More...
May 20, 2011
Malissa
rated it:
I expected to really like this book, and it didn't disappoint. It might be one of my two favorites of Helen Frost's now (and I like them all). I loved how each girl had a different form for her story so it was really easy to determine which narrator was which. I also loved the format that the author developed just for Darra's parts. So very cool! The story itself was engaging, and I felt connected to the characters. I also have to say that there was a surprise for me about 2/3 of the way through
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Jan 23, 2012
Handd51
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Interesting premise: an 8 year old is accidently kidnapped in a carjacking. she finds herself in the thief's garage, and is assisted by his 8 year old daughter. Years later, the two meet at summer camp. The story is told in verse, so it is a VERY fast read, and the author has invented a form of poetry for the book that includes a code-like reading of the last words of the long lines for additional insights. I found the story itself credible and interesting - but the extra poetry trick was a b
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Dec 02, 2011
Jill
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I love how Helen Frost experiments with form/verse, and she does it so well. (Although admittedly, after reading the note at the end, I tried to go back and look for the secret messages held in Darra's sections, but I couldn't really get it. Maybe I am just dense--maybe I'm only smart enough to get the hidden messages in Diamond Willow, which were bolded.) The first section of the accidental kidnapping was excellent. Sometimes I found myself getting a little confused during the camp section sinc
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Sep 15, 2011
Anne
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A compelling story about two girls - Darra and Wren - who are linked by an incident when they were both young, when Darra's father drives off in a stolen car after a robbery, unknowingly with Wren in the back. Both girls hurt - Wren hurts because of this one very traumatic incident; Darra because of her very traumatic life. They meet again years later at summer camp, finding themselves facing each other and awaking unresolved feelings from that day long ago. The author weaves their stories well
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Jul 07, 2011
Sesana
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I've read several of Helen Frost's novels in verse. I think this is her most recent. The story is quite different from anything else I've read by her. The two girls who narrate are brought together in a very unusual way, when Wren is accidentally kidnapped by Darra's father. (He steals the car without realizing she's in it.) Wren's experience obviously changes her life, and Darra's is changed by knowing what she went through and because her father is arrested afterwards. Years later, the two mee
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Aug 15, 2011
Tween
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Hidden
When Wren was eight years old, Darra’s father stole her mother’s car. Wren was still in it. Darra figured out that Wren was hiding in her family’s garage. Darra hatches a plan to help Wren out, but Wren has already escaped. Six years later, these girls meet at camp. This is uncomfortable for both of them.
HIDDEN intrigued me. Written in verse, it switches between Wren’s point of view and Darra’s. (Be sure to read the notes at the end.) Hidden is an interesting boo More...
When Wren was eight years old, Darra’s father stole her mother’s car. Wren was still in it. Darra figured out that Wren was hiding in her family’s garage. Darra hatches a plan to help Wren out, but Wren has already escaped. Six years later, these girls meet at camp. This is uncomfortable for both of them.
HIDDEN intrigued me. Written in verse, it switches between Wren’s point of view and Darra’s. (Be sure to read the notes at the end.) Hidden is an interesting boo More...
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