Wait Till Helen Comes
by Mary Downing Hahn
Clarion Books, 1986. Fiction. 184 p.
This book is a classic. And it's a classic for very good reason. When their mother remarries, Molly and Michael suddenly find themselves with a brand new stepsister. But Heather isn't the kind of sister they'd been hoping for. She doesn't seem to like her new family, and causes trouble between them and their new stepfather whenever she can. But that isn't the worst of it. Heather claims she's made a new friend--a girl whose headstone lies in a secret cemetery the kids discover hidden on their property. Has Heather managed to ally herself with a vengeful ghost? Or is she faking the whole thing in order to bring about some diabolical plan of her own?
I remember reading this book as a child and thinking I knew exactly how it was going to end--only to have my theories fall apart. This book is a good old-fashioned ghost story, but it is also an equally good old-fashioned mystery as well. While there are a few deliciously creepy parts, it was the mystery of what was really going on that had me hanging on every word.
This book has recently been made into a movie which is slated for release later this year. The author, Mary Downing Hahn, will be making a short cameo appearance in the film.
1 comment:
This book utterly terrified me as a child. When I met Mary Downing Hahn a few years back and told her this, she looked up at me with this small, slightly wicked smile and said, "Good."
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