Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story

'Wait Till Helen Comes' by Mary Downing Hahn was recommended by my teenage Grandson. I enjoy the occasional Middle School read and like the connection of coreading with my Grandchildren. 'Wait Till Helen Comes' was well written and kept my interest. It was appropriate for Middle School readers despite some scary scenes involving supernatural characters. The plot of the story wrapped up nicely and the previously conflicting character personalities were pleasantly aligned. I would definitely recommend this book for teenagers and up and give it five stars. It reminds me of a personal favorite of my own when I was a teenager - 'When Michael Calls' by John Farris which I have recently reread and will soon recommend to my Grandson.

Twelve year old Molly and her blended family move out to the country. Heather, Molly's seven year old step-sister, witnessed her mother die in a fire and now suffers from the untreated emotional fallout of the loss. While dealing with the stresses of a newly blended family and Heather's PTSD, a ghost of a little girl named Helen has come to claim Heather, and Molly must do whatever it takes to stop Helen and save Heather. This setting in this book is spectacular for a middle grade book. The author really goes out of the her way to create a beautiful and creepy setting for the book. The book really is scary even as an adult. It's not just Helen's lonely and sad ghost, it's the reminder something horrible can happen to the youngest and most vulnerable among us. It also speaks to how trusting children are and how that trust can be abused and exploited. The characters are completely believable to the point where, as an adult, I was frustrated with the behavior of Jean and Dave, the parents. I love how Molly never gives up on Heather, no matter how unlikable Heather becomes and how bad Heather treats Molly and her brother Michael. Helen is also a great villain, she's multi dimensional and sympathetic. The author does a great job of setting up a middle grade domestic thriller. This might have been the book that made me fall in love with domestic thrillers. I loved this book as a kid. I was 11 or 12 when I read it. The ending still makes me cry. I think kids who like ghosts and other spooky things would love this book. It is morbid at times, as it deals with death of both children and adults. Someone also briefly mentions nuclear war, because it was the 80's. When I first read this book I was in sixth grade and James Taylor had just released "Never Die Young", an appropriate song for this book. I recommend listening to that song will you read this book.

Twelve-year-old Molly isn't happy that her mom has remarried, and she's even less thrilled when her new blended family moves to an old converted church far out in the country. The graveyard behind the church frightens Molly, but her new stepsister, 7-year-old Heather, is strangely drawn to it. Molly soon discovers that Heather's imaginary friend, Helen, isn't quite so imaginary. Helen is the ghost of a drowned girl, and she may be leading Heather to the same fate...unless Molly can stop her. I read this book for the first time when I was 9 or 10, and I probably read it at least 20 times in the 3 or 4 years that followed. I recently read it again as an adult, and I was so happy to discover that a book I loved so much when I was growing up has withstood the test of time. Aside from a few dated references, Wait Till Helen Comes feels timeless. It's an inventive, well-told, and eerie ghost story. Hahn's writing is age-appropriate, but doesn't feel "dumbed down" in the least; the writing is fantastic, actually. Her prose is beguiling, weaving an atmosphere that is rich with detail and rife with tension. You can feel the oppression of a stifling summer day, just as you can feel the chill of an otherworldly presence. As a pre-teen, I remember feeling truly chilled by some of the spookier scenes, and I'm not too proud to admit that some of those scenes still haunt me to this day (in particular, the scene in which Helen trashes Molly's and Michael's rooms and their mother's art studio, as well as the climax at Harper Pond). What makes this novel such a great one for pre-teens, though, is not necessarily that it's a ghost story. The relationships and issues that Hahn explores in Wait Till Helen Comes also lend to its timeless quality: the dynamics of a blended family, the nature of forgiveness and acceptance...great lessons, all wrapped up in a spooky, well-written package.

I bought this book as a gift for an 8 year old who hadn’t yet heard of this author. She loved it so much she insisted on retelling me the entire plot!

This was a gift for my granddaughter,she loved the book and could not put it down so was an excellent buy

Always the best author and best books to read when you need a horror plot.

I absolutely LOVED this book. It is only a short story really but it was very enjoyable. I think it is aimed at younger readers but I'm 37 and it was a fab read. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone!

Very creepy atmosphere, well worth the read. I'm reading it again now! Also, quite sad, happy ending though. Well, sort of.