Hide and Seeker by Daka Hermon
Format/source: ebook/ Library
Published: Sept. 2020
Publisher: Scholastic
Length: 320 pages 
Genre: Horror
Target Age: 9+
#OwnVoices: Black representation

Justin knows that something is wrong with his best friend.Zee went missing for a year. And when he came back, he was . . . different. Nobody knows what happened to him. At Zee’s welcome home party, Justin and the neighborhood crew play Hide and Seek. But it goes wrong. Very wrong. One by one, everyone who plays the game disappears, pulled into a world of nightmares come to life. Justin and his friends realize this horrible place is where Zee had been trapped. All they can do now is hide from the Seeker.

Goodreads description

Review ✍🏻

Hide and Seeker is a story steeped in children’s folklore. The game of hide and seek, familiar to every child with whatever rhymes and rules go with it, takes a terrifying turn in this tale. Those who break the rules of the game draw the ire of the Seeker, who pulls children into its bleak alternate reality to play an endless game of hide and seek with their own fears.

What a premise! This book jumped onto my TBR the moment I learnt of it. I love how it grounds itself in a common childhood experience. Hide and Seeker makes a compelling and exciting, if chills-inducing, read. Here, we follow a predominantly Black group of kids who land in scary shenanigans. Not the kind of traumatically frightening experience they might encounter because of the colour of their skin, but the kind of imaginatively frightening experience a child’s mind might conjure. This is the kind of genre tale that I would love to see more of diversifying middle grade speculative fiction.

Justin narrates the story. He’s a good kid who always looks out for his friends – but since his mom died a year ago, he’s been experiencing anxiety and panic attacks. He doesn’t think his friends should count on him anymore. His arc includes learning to trust in himself again. Yes, this may technically be considered another dead parent story, but the perspective Hermon writes is refreshing.

Hide and Seeker kicks off immediately into creepy territory. Justin arrives at Zee’s home for a welcome back party, but he finds the house disturbingly damaged. Zee’s mother seems hopeful yet afraid of her son, with scratches covering her arm. When Zee finally appears, he speaks only in cryptic, haunting rhymes. From that opening scene, the story builds tension which eventually tips over into action oriented, fast paced scenes as Justin and co. end up in the Seeker’s alternate reality. The scares go from those of anticipation to those of literal fears coming to life before the characters. Hermon packs in plenty of entertainment value. There’s also a great ending (I can’t remember if it’s an actual epilogue) that hints at further creepy games.

The Bottom Line 💭

This action packed horror story will spook any kid who’s ever cheated a little at a neighbourhood game! Hand Hide and Seeker to reads who enjoy a good fright.

Further Reading 📰

🍂 Read an excerpt
🍂 Author website
🍂 Interview @ MG Book Village
🍂 Reviews: Akoss @ Goodreads, WOC Reader, Karen @ Ms. Yingling Reads
🍂 Related: For more spooky MG reads with Black protagonists, check out my reviews of The Jumbies and Just South of Home