Hidden

Reviewed by: Carla McAllister - New Gloucester Public Library, New Gloucester, Maine, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: April 19, 2017

Review

Alix, who is 14, lives off the coast of England. Her life is pretty much in a turmoil; Dad left two years ago with a younger woman, her beloved Grampa has died, and Mom has suffered a broken leg. Alix is trying to keep her tiny family afloat. She takes care of her Mom, works a paper delivery route, prepares the meals, and tries to keep running as often as she can to stay on the track team at school. She notices Samir,a quiet and often bullied boy in her class who is a refugee from Iraq. She befriends him and they are together when a man comes in on the tide. They save him from drowning and then are in a position where they don't know what to do next. He is a victim of the war in Iraq, his family members have been killed, and is seeking asylum. From what they have been taught recently, he is apt to be sent right back to Iraq where, he claims, he will be killed. Samir and Alix are in a dilemma. In the current times, this novel about immigration, refugees, and the choices all countries must make around this issue is spot on and told in a way which young teenagers will understand. Alix finds that judging others by their appearance alone sometimes proves catastrophic, whether those people are her family, friends, neighbors, teachers, or law enforcement.

Overall Book Score: very good