Review
While not as wonderful as Bound, there's a lot to like in Hidden. Brigid, kidnapped by slavers with her older sister, escapes and finds herself in the Norse lands, far from her home in Eire. Though she does adapt to her new life, finding and leaving new families through her childhood, Brigid's desire is always to find her sister and return to her homeland. Resourceful, clever, and fierce, Brigid gains love and shelter from peasants to kings. As she matures, there's even a romance - but her heart is with her sister, and so Brigid escapes yet again, becoming a pirate and rescuing other captives bound for slavery.
The good? A strong female protagonist and plenty of rich historical detail about a time and place not often found in children's books. The bad? As another reviewer mentioned, Brigid's voice doesn't change from eight to sixteen. Though she experiences significant emotional and spiritual growth, even becoming more Norse and less irish, Brigid's voice never reflects that growth. Too, given her experiences as a child and an outsider, her trials don't seem that traumatic. Everything seems to come right for Brigid fairly quickly, and she's never actually injured or abused. Napoli considers this YA, but it reads more as middle grade.
Brigid's adventures and and willingness to challenge others' expectations and beliefs make this a good read, but it doesn't measure up to some of Napoli's other works.
The good? A strong female protagonist and plenty of rich historical detail about a time and place not often found in children's books. The bad? As another reviewer mentioned, Brigid's voice doesn't change from eight to sixteen. Though she experiences significant emotional and spiritual growth, even becoming more Norse and less irish, Brigid's voice never reflects that growth. Too, given her experiences as a child and an outsider, her trials don't seem that traumatic. Everything seems to come right for Brigid fairly quickly, and she's never actually injured or abused. Napoli considers this YA, but it reads more as middle grade.
Brigid's adventures and and willingness to challenge others' expectations and beliefs make this a good read, but it doesn't measure up to some of Napoli's other works.
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