Children in Hiding (Scholastic, TX 1723) [Paperback]

Charlene Joy Talbot (Author), Reisie Lonette (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1971

Tomas and his sister have to get away from the apartment before the welfare people come. They need a place to hide and wait for Papa. But where? Then Tomas has an idea..

Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: Scholastic Book Services; First Printing edition (1971)
• ASIN: B000P1RLA6
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,035,923 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great old favorite, March 29, 2011

By 

M. Hollingsworth (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Children in Hiding (Scholastic, TX 1723) (Paperback)

This was one of my childhood favorites. I think I was six or seven when I first read it.

Premise: Tomas and his agoraphobic sister are on their own. Their mother is dead and their father is missing. Their landlady is ready to call social services see that they're cared for, but Tomas has a different plan. He moves himself and his sister into an abandoned space, caring for them by using his wits while waiting for his father to return.

When I was nine years old, I lent it to my fourth grade teacher to read aloud to the class, and afterwards several of the other children wanted to borrow it to reread for themselves. It's just a great book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little-known treasure, August 27, 2009

By 

Research Mom "Author and Avid Reader" (Westport, CT United States) - See all my reviews

This is one of the handful of books that I read over and over as a child. I just noticed it on my (now teenaged) kids' bookshelf and read it again. It has all of the elements of a great book for kids: adventure, suspense, fun, orphaned children who survive by ingenuity, a satisfying ending, and a glimpse into a completely different world and culture. Tomas, the son of Puerto Rican immigrants, is scrounging for food at the docks and makes a face when he takes a bite of a raw carrot ("a food that only Americans would eat"). His agoraphobic sister has never been sent to school and hardly speaks English. I gained a new perspective on the world through Tomas's eyes. Nobody could fail to enjoy this book.