I have been obsessed with this book since elementary school and it has been a random thought in my head for so long I finally had to purchase my own copy I was rereading it so much! Such a simple yet amazing story line. ( )

Another Caudill Nominee. The book is written in poetic form going back and forth between the two characters. Might be a little hard for a younger student to get the hang of the form but in all a great story. Would be perfect for a middle school reading group. Discussion ideas abound in this one. ( )

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. ( )

The book Hidden by Helen Frost ended up holding a special place in my heart. It is written uniquely in different forms, which I thought would be difficult for me to read. It was not.

The story starts off with the accidental kidnapping and the events that both eight year old girls went through. Both girls had a different way of seeing the events from that time.

When they meet up later in their short lives, it develops into a wonderful friendship. What I found amazing in this book is that the author touches upon the feelings and treatment of the family of the perpetrator of a crime. That is what really captured my heart. I loved the emotions that both very strong girls shared with themselves and each other.

The ending was perfect, to me I could not have asked for more. Okay, yes I was left with "I MUST know what happens next" but I realized I was content with how everything played out. Hidden is a very fast paced read and perfect for reluctant readers. This will be one that I will read aloud to my children, it will show them strength in difficult situations and that beautiful things can happen in the worst of situations. ( )

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. ( )