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.

This book grabs the reader from the first chapter where we meet first the mom and her two children (Molly and Michael), and then the husband’s child (Heather) and then the husband. I don’t know how the author did it, but Heather, comes across as a creepily hateful, troublemaking antagonist from the moment we meet her. Each character is drawn vividly and we are instantly experiencing the story along with the children. It is a good ghost story for younger readers, probably great in 1986, but the ending (at least now-a-days) is pretty predictable. I have a whole other ending in my head, much creepier, I think. This might be a good project for students, write an alternate ending – see what they come up with. I believe there was some confusion as to the ages of Molly and Heather, as in some places in the book Molly seemed so much younger than 12 and in other places, Heather seemed so much older than 7 – in terms of what they said, the words used, and how and when they said it. [Molly: “You don’t understand, Mom!” I threw myself at her, trying to climb into her lap.] Also, some of the tags used would be absolute no-no’s today: [Heather: “Do you believe in Helen now?” she hissed.” (you can’t hiss words). “I told you she’d make you sorry! The next time it will be much, much worse. You just wait!”] I do love the author’s descriptions as she always invites many senses: “A breeze shushed through the grass, rustling the leaves and bringing with it the scent of honeysuckle. The night seemed very still and private.” Still may creep out younger readers.

I loved this book as a child and purchased this one for my daughter. It’s a captivating ghost story that keeps young readers interested until the end.

Great story, just as I remember as a kid! Just different cover!

Got this for childhood nostalgia and now I get to own one of my fav books by my fav childhood author. Good story to read. I got Time for Andrew and The Doll in the Garden: A Ghost Story as well and I feel complete now. My inner child is screaming with joy that I now have these books.

I actually had to read this book for one of my classes for my bachelor degree in teaching. This book was suspenseful and even kept my attention as an adult! Highly recommend for children 3rd grade and up depending on their reading level. Could even be used as a book in classroom reading because the book is appropriate with no bad language or scenes. Only a little spooky but nothing that is scary. Mostly just suspenseful like “what might happen next?”