What do you think?
Rate this book
Hide
A family’s search for a son who won’t return until they can promise to change the world. Burton and Maddy Franck’s fourteen-year-old son, Seb, is gone. Their only comfort is knowing he won’t last a day on his own before he is caught or comes home with his tail between his legs. Seb, however, does not come home. Hide is the story of a family desperate to find a lost son. It is also the story of a boy with an audacious plan to save himself. At turns suspenseful, comic and philosophical, Hide always returns to Seb’s questions. How have we become so lost, so detached from nature, so stupid about a planet we depend upon completely? How will he, or any of us, find our way back?
300 pages, Paperback
Published September 23, 2016
36 people are currently reading
33 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 28, 2018
First, I enjoyed it. Any good story locks in the reader, which yours did for me. The suspense right from the first page was compelling. You wove a good story, and a difficult one due to a character, Seb, who wasn't "there" for much of it. Difficult also because to make it plausible, you need to do some homework on IT and establish a character who could accomplish a total disappearance. The other issue you handled well was the feelings of the family members. Grief is a hard topic to emote without getting overtly sentimental. Conversations between Burton and Maddy are very believable and likely similar to a reaction I'd have if one of my boys or stepdaughters disappeared. I would want to take matters into my own hands as Burton did. The "article" by the way, could be like some of my early rants and railings against polluters and land abusers in general. I would never want to share those with my boys who have heard me enough on the topic.
The story flows nicely overall. Also, you tied it up in a positive way, which is always nice. The tale of Seb has multiple meanings and that leads me to the other part of the book: ecology/ environmental preservation/ climate change. It has been a big challenge for me for the past twenty years or more to share my environmental concerns with a disconnected audience. Your passion for the topic is at the heart of the book. This is a very innovative way to share that with the public. It ain't easy I can tell you. I took a different tack but with the same outcome in mind. I think this is a very clever approach to appealing to a wider group of people. We do a lot of preaching to the choir so it is critically important to expand our efforts. A book full of suspense, interactive conflict, and a satisfying ending will do it however. Your passion for the topic is accounted for in the book without detracting from it. That, again, ain't easy. And, I know for a fact that teens are highly capable of grasping the concepts of sustainability and climate change.
The story flows nicely overall. Also, you tied it up in a positive way, which is always nice. The tale of Seb has multiple meanings and that leads me to the other part of the book: ecology/ environmental preservation/ climate change. It has been a big challenge for me for the past twenty years or more to share my environmental concerns with a disconnected audience. Your passion for the topic is at the heart of the book. This is a very innovative way to share that with the public. It ain't easy I can tell you. I took a different tack but with the same outcome in mind. I think this is a very clever approach to appealing to a wider group of people. We do a lot of preaching to the choir so it is critically important to expand our efforts. A book full of suspense, interactive conflict, and a satisfying ending will do it however. Your passion for the topic is accounted for in the book without detracting from it. That, again, ain't easy. And, I know for a fact that teens are highly capable of grasping the concepts of sustainability and climate change.
June 5, 2025
Interesting
This was not what I expected. At all. At times it was very slow and almost boring, but the kid has to be found. The characters are a little lop sided, but very interesting and believable. Who knows how any set of parents would handle this situation, but this couple seemed to have all the answers as if they had done
It before and needed little to no help.
The topic of the child's angst is so very important that getting any noise out there is very important. Things are about to get worse again. I wish more adults had this child's thoughts.
The descriptions of the environment, especially the AT was very enjoyable. Thank you!
This was not what I expected. At all. At times it was very slow and almost boring, but the kid has to be found. The characters are a little lop sided, but very interesting and believable. Who knows how any set of parents would handle this situation, but this couple seemed to have all the answers as if they had done
It before and needed little to no help.
The topic of the child's angst is so very important that getting any noise out there is very important. Things are about to get worse again. I wish more adults had this child's thoughts.
The descriptions of the environment, especially the AT was very enjoyable. Thank you!
November 10, 2025
I almost quit this book several times as I found it totally unenjoyable to read. I felt like I was slogging through something mucky as I read it. That said, I did finish it. I didn't really like any of the characters except maybe the daughter because she seemed to have the most normal reactions to the situation. A situation I found highly unbelievable and ridiculous in theory.
June 6, 2025
Thought provoking
What does it take to make a profound difference in this world? Can it really start with one person taking such a drastic stand? An amazing read, one which begs answers to these questions.
What does it take to make a profound difference in this world? Can it really start with one person taking such a drastic stand? An amazing read, one which begs answers to these questions.
July 23, 2025
Not your typical 'missing' story
Seb disappears from a Buddist retreat without a trace. Then his parents get an email from him with an assignment.
You will be surprised at the developments and what's behind the disappearance.
Seb disappears from a Buddist retreat without a trace. Then his parents get an email from him with an assignment.
You will be surprised at the developments and what's behind the disappearance.
July 22, 2025
Interesting
Interesting, but a bit long winded. The story premise is good. The characters are interesting but the drama became repetitive pretty quickly.
Interesting, but a bit long winded. The story premise is good. The characters are interesting but the drama became repetitive pretty quickly.
August 5, 2016
Just Ok ****SPOILERS****
I really wanted to like this book as it was suggested by a friend. I understand the concept but felt it dragged on and on. I read the entire thing in hopes that at some point I would understand what I was reading. I can only give it two stars because it just didn't make sense.
A 14 year old boy freaks out over an article about global warming written 20+ years prior by his father and runs away. But not just anywhere he decided to hide out in a forest alone. Pages and pages dedicated to long boring search of this child only to find he is communicating via timed emails from a computer hidden in his closet wall. The overly detailed search and facts about the area bog it down! Honestly wouldn't recommend this book. I found it boring.
I really wanted to like this book as it was suggested by a friend. I understand the concept but felt it dragged on and on. I read the entire thing in hopes that at some point I would understand what I was reading. I can only give it two stars because it just didn't make sense.
A 14 year old boy freaks out over an article about global warming written 20+ years prior by his father and runs away. But not just anywhere he decided to hide out in a forest alone. Pages and pages dedicated to long boring search of this child only to find he is communicating via timed emails from a computer hidden in his closet wall. The overly detailed search and facts about the area bog it down! Honestly wouldn't recommend this book. I found it boring.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews