Twelve-year-old Sam has been given a fishing boat by his father, but he hates fishing. Instead he uses the boat to disappear for hours at a time, exploring the forbidden swampy surroundings of his Gulf Shore home. Then he discovers a boy named Davey, mysteriously alone, repairing an abandoned cabin in the deep woods. Not fooled by the boy’s evasive explanation as to why he’s on his own, Sam becomes entangled in his own efforts to help Davey. But this leads him to telling small lies that only get bigger as the danger increases for both boys, and hidden truths become harder to reveal.
I kept putting this book off because I had read the back cover, and it just didn’t seem that interesting to me. I finally picked it up again when school started last week. It is the 2nd to last Truman nominee for the 2019-2020 school year that I have to read, and then I can focus completely on the 2020-21 list.
This book definitely surprised me. The first chapter, I actually had to look up what some words meant, because I know absolutely zero about boats or fishing.
Hideout was the first book by Watt Key that I have read, and I really enjoyed his style. The book was simple to read (which is great for middle school students), suspenseful, and funny (in places).
The main character, Sam, is at an interesting place in his life where he wants to prove to himself and others that he is brave. This desire comes from having a dad who is a police officer and the fact that he got beat up pretty badly in front of the prettiest girl in school.
This desire to prove himself leads him on an adventure to help Davey, but in doing so, he starts lying to his parents and fighting with his best friend. I liked Sam’s character a lot, and honestly, with how creepy the front of the book looked, I thought Davey might be some sort of ghost. I was wrong, and I’m not ruining the story by sharing that. Just showing how my mind works.
I enjoyed this book quite a bit, and I am looking forward to putting more of Watt Key’s books on my to-read shelf!
Four out of five stars!
Michelle Reads & Writes 