Summary
This graphic novel is about a grandmother, Dounia, telling her young granddaughter, Elsa, about her experiences being raised in Paris in 1942. The book begins with Elsa waking to find her grandmother sadly staring at a picture. After further prodding, Dounia begins to recall her life as a young girl. She begins recalling how she had two friends, Isaac and Catherine, and how they enjoyed school.
Things begin to change when Dounia’s father tells them they would have to be a family of sheriffs and would now need to wear a “sheriff’s badge.” Dounia soon discovers this “badge” is the Star of David, and she and her friend Isaac experience subsequent persecution for being Jewish. When the circumstances become increasingly hostile, she is homeschooled.
In the middle of the night, Dounia hears knocking and is hidden by her parents, who are then taken away by officers. She then lives with upstairs neighbors, the Pericards, who safely hide her until her location is compromised. She goes to live on a farm with Mrs. Pericard, and Dounia takes on a new identity. The Pericards work tirelessly to find Dounia’s parents who were taken to a concentration camp. Dounia is finally reunited with her mother, but her father sadly dies.
Reading Level: 8+ (Although not recommended for this age, see Mom Thoughts)
Mom Thoughts
Many books have tried to convey the horrific and appalling persecution the Jewish people faced during World War II, but this graphic novel had a way of making the reader feel a part of that experience in a unique way. While reading Hidden, I found myself thinking of how I would actually feel in that situation, seeing the day-to-day life as a young Jewish girl, and experiencing heartbreak for the fictional Dounia, as I know her story mirrored many people’s during World War II. Graphic art lent itself well to that aim. The people have two black dots for their eyes, yet you can see the anger, hurt, worry, joy, and anguish on their faces and in their body postures. The background also conveys messages and contains a lot of detail, enriching the depth of the storyline. The dialogue from the lens of a child, illustrations, and plot deeply connects the reader to the story. As an adult reader, I appreciated that; as a mother of younger children (potential readers), the book’s ability to connect with readers paired with additional details gave me things to consider before recommending.
First of all, the authors target this book to 6-10-year-olds. For readers at that age who are more sensitive and empathetic, the scene of Douna telling her parents goodbye and having to be hidden could be too emotionally intense. Additionally, readers at that age are likely beginning to have sexual development conversations with their parents. However, one would have to understand circumcision to fully grasp the scene with Isaac (see below). That scene might be based on an actual account, however, adding that layer of “pulling down pants and explaining differences in ‘wee-wees’” greatly limits the number of children who would be mature enough and educated enough to handle that scene.
Graphic novels are usually used to foster a love of reading in reluctant, independent readers. That being said, this book most likely would not be used as a read-aloud with parent supervision. Nevertheless, there are thematic elements that would require explaining to a young reader such as, “Is it okay to slap an elderly woman if she is acting as a traitor,” and, “Is/when is it okay to lie to protect families God instituted,” as well as, “is it okay Dounia lied about her name and being Catholic to avoid being killed?” For those reasons, I was moved by this book as an adult but do not think it serves its intended purpose to the younger readers it was designed to engage.
Language:
“Shut up,” “the little Jew girl,” “you filthy traitor,” “pee,” “wee-wee”
Questionable Behaviors:
Without words, the illustrations show a shop owner taken out of his shop, slapped, beaten, and blood coming out of his nose. His shop is then marked with the Star of David.
When Dounia is about to leave the safe-house apartment, an older woman shouts for the police to arrest Dounia. Mr. Pericard slaps the elderly woman in the face. The illustrations show her on all fours, grasping her eye with blood coming out.
Elsa tells Dounia, “Your daddy was a liar!” about the sheriff game.
Mr. Pericard smokes a cigarette.
Sexual Content:
Dounia recalls Isaac as being so handsome. Dounia and her friend Catherine were both “crazy about him.”
Elsa wanted to know who Isaac was in love with and angrily wanted to know if her grandfather knew Dounia had been in love with another boy. Dounia says, “Don’t worry, he does know and I hadn’t met him yet anyway.”
The reader discovers the reason Isaac was sulking was because, “his teacher made him climb up on his desk and pull down his pants and then explain to the class that Jews had a piece of ‘wee-wee’ missing.”
The Pericards kiss.
Other Things To Note:
● Jewish Persecution: Dounia’s friends won’t associate with her, the teacher moves her to the back of the class, the teacher won’t call on her, and her house gets a Jewish star drawn on it.
● Mature and Intense Content:
○ Dounia’s family gets a knock late at night. Her parents hide her and tell her they love her, and her father lies about her whereabouts to the police. Her parents are taken away by officers, and Dounia is left all alone.
○ Dounia goes to areas with pictures of concentration camp members to search for images of her parents. At one of these locations, a man in a concentration camp uniform falls down, and the illustrations show he is gaunt.
○ When Dounia is reunited with her mother who has returned from a concentration camp, the illustrations make her mother look scary. She has a large head, a feeble body, and two dots for eyes.
● On the farm, there is an image of a rabbit nailed by its feet to a door upside down. The rabbit is being skinned for dinner, and its hide is pulled halfway down, with the flesh of its legs and ribs exposed.
This review was written by Good Book Mom contributor, Emily. To learn more about Emily, click HERE.
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