“Every Hidden Thing works well on a number of levels. As a mock history, it offers readers a sense of a vanished world in a restrained, unobtrusive manner. As an exploration of obsession and its costs, it allows readers the vicarious thrill of discovery, and the agony of the search. And as a romance, it is a realistic and enthralling depiction of young, secretive love.
This is not a clichéd, simplistic love story. The relationship between Samuel and Rachel is rooted deeply in Oppel’s skilled and subtle development of their individual characters. Shifting easily between their points of view, the author builds the relationship honestly and, at times, surprisingly…. While the romantic storyline forms the emotional core of the book, the narrative is driven by themes of boundless scientific curiosity and competitiveness, which envelopes even the young lovers….This is a novel of discovery, both scientific and personal.” 

– Quill & Quire

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"Our national kidlit king takes on the unlikely combo of pubescent lust and dinosaur bones....Oppel's plot pulls readers along breathlessly and his style perfectly straddles readable and literary... Reign on, King Ken."

- The Globe and Mail

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“Based on the 19th-century Bone Wars, Oppel’s (The Nest) story switches rapidly between the viewpoints of Samuel and Rachel, interspersed with the legend of the T. rex. While the politics of land ownership and the dynamics between native tribes and scientists is an absorbing and well-developed layer of the novel, the thrill of the hunt and the budding relationship between Rachel and Samuel take center stage.” 

– Publishers Weekly

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A romantic page-turner....the historical matter of nineteenth century paleontology, of the violence enacted against the Sioux by white encroachment, and of a clever girl's yearning for education, give heft to an entertaining, thoughtful -- and sometimes downright funny -- yarn."

- Toronto Star

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“Oppel is, above all, an excellent storyteller. The writing flows effortlessly, with dialogue that rings true and characters who are colourful and flamboyant but still somehow convincing…. This is a book that will appeal to both boys and girls. A thrilling adventure as well as a tender love story, Every Hidden Thing uses history and romance to stir the hearts of a new generation.
Highly Recommended.”

– CM Magazine

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"Oppel’s ability to make us care about every dusty find as much as the attraction between Sam and Rachel — who share the job of narrator — is quietly impressive. This is fantastic prehistoric beasts and where to find them, with a dollop of Indiana Jones and a spoonful of Romeo and Juliet. It gets a roar of approval from this camp." 

- The Sunday Times (UK)

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"This breakneck palaeontological western....is a fascinating, fast-paced, rich and provocative novel. Neither palaeontology nor romance is slow or sedate in Every Hidden Thing. There is a great deal packed into this book beside the breathless contest at its heart. It might be a whirlwind romance, but there is no sense of a fairytale ending, and a strong but nuanced vein of feminism runs throughout. Rachel is a credible, determined, enforcedly self-focused character: a heroine in the mould of Frances Hardinge’s Faith, in the Costa-winning The Lie Tree. This is a warts-and-all novel, more Deadwood than Rawhide.... it brings the thrill of discovery, first love and a nail-biting chase vividly alive in this dinosaur adventure emphatically for older readers."

- The Guardian (UK)

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"Fantastic... an exciting and nuanced portrait of an era when great discoveries were lit by the desert sun."

– New York Times

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