Hidden

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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

PLOT SUMMARY

This novel, written entirely in verse, is the story of two young girls who encounter one another in scary and unsettling circumstances. Wren becomes an accidental kidnap victim when Darra’s father, West, steals the minivan in which Wren is hiding. Wren struggles to escape, aided anonymously by Darra. Years later, the girls meet for the first time at summer camp, each recognizing the name of the other. Their chance meeting allows suppressed memories about what happened to resurface for both Wren and Darra. By coming to terms with the emotions each arouses in the other, they are able to find answers about what happened to each of them as a result of West’s actions. As a result of their shared past, they manage to find a common ground on which to base a true and lasting friendship. The title, Hidden, is revealed to have many different layers and meanings throughout this story. Wren is hidden from West; Wren buries (hides) her past in her memory; Darra’s past is hidden in her words through the use of an end-word story.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Frost uses two forms of poetry to reflect the personalities, backgrounds, and experiences of the two girls. Wren, who is from a typical, happy nuclear family, is written entirely in free verse, described by Frost as flowing “musical notation.” In part one, each section of poetry is numbered to reflect the passage of time as Wren searches for a way out of her predicament. Wren’s voice is clear and concise, but reflects great depth of feeling: “Like a small rabbit/that knows a cat is close by,/I paid attention. I didn’t/twitch.”

Darra’s voice is heard through a form invented especially for this book. There is little or no punctuation, and there is an end-word story embedded in the long lines. The text looks and feels “heavier,” reflecting Darra’s conflicted childhood, a childhood with a father whom she loves in spite of his emotional and physical abuse. It is in the end-word story that the reader experiences the happy and sad times “hidden” in Darra’s past: “the/summer/I/was/ seven/Dad/took/me/fishing/on/a/lake…he/didn’t/know/I/saw/him/

crying/the/day/he/got/laid/off”.

Hidden creates a strong emotional impact through Frost’s use of vivid imagery. The reader feels Wren’s fear as she hides in West’s garage: “I’d never get out./I couldn’t stop crying./I wiped my nose on the sleeve of the sweatshirt./Smell of cigarettes. Sweat. Dead fish?/West./I cried harder. Darra’s fear is tangible when Wren loses control during a water exercise at camp: “Only--I don’t surface--I stay/under. She’s holding me down/and I can’t get away. I tap her three times--/she won’t let me up--Wren! I don’t care if she pulls out/a fistful of my hair--I need air!

Wren and Darra exhibit emotions that are born out of their backgrounds and experiences. Throughout this poem, they show great strength of character: one as she struggles to escape and survive this one traumatic experience, one as she struggles to help in whatever small way she can, in spite of living traumatic experiences daily. As they work through the feelings created by the experiences of their younger selves, they discover that the bond created through that common experience is a bond that becomes the basis for a true friendship.

PERSONAL OBSERVATIONS

I opened up this book expecting not to like it. If asked, I would say that I don’t care for poetry. I was wrong, and someday, I might remember to keep an open mind and be open to new experiences. This book is remarkably well crafted. I couldn’t put it down. I loved the used of the two voices of the girls, and how each form of poetry reflected the personality and life of each. It wasn’t until I read Frost’s note at the back that I made the discovery of the long line end-word story. How clever! I found the layers “hidden” within the book fascinating. This book offers an interesting view of perspective, of how we, as individuals, each experience events we share with others.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

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.”

School Library Journal: “Smoothly written, this novel carries a message of healing and hope.”

American Library Association Notable Books for Children

CONNECTIONS

• This book would be a great introduction to poetry for middle school students. Consider featuring Hidden during National Poetry Month in April or Young People’s Poetry Week in the third week of April.
• Use Hidden to introduce or continue work with older students on perspective. Encourage students to work in pairs, do an activity together, either teacher- or student-planned, and then write about the experience from their own perspectives. Have them compare and contrast how they each saw the event play out.
• Read other works by Helen Frost and study the forms of poetry that she uses. Other works could include:

Frost, Helen. Crossing Stones. ISBN 9780374316532

Frost, Helen. Diamond Willow. ISBN 9780312603830

Frost, Helen. The Braid. ISBN 9780374309626

• Let students try their hands at hiding a poem within a poem as Frost does with her long line end-word story.