Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
Accelerated Reader: Level: 4.6. Pts. 5.
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Book Description:
Ghost story fans have a spooky treat in store with Hahn's eerie new novel. Molly,
the 12-year-old narrator, and her brother Michael dislike their bratty 5-year-old stepsister
Heather and resent the family move to an isolated converted church in the country. The
adjourning graveyard frightens Molly, but Heather seems drawn to it.
Molly discovers that the ghost of a child (Helen) who died in a fire a century
ago wants to lure Heather to her doom. Molly determines to save her stepsister. In
so doing, she learns that Heather's strange behavior stems from her feelings of guilt at
having accidentally caused her mother's death by playing near a stove and starting a fire.
Eventually, Molly wrests Heather from Helen's arms as the ghost attempts to drown them.
The girls discover the skeletons of Helen's parents, and their burial finally puts to rest
Helen's spirit.
This is a powerful, convincing, and frightening tale. The details of everyday life
quickly give way to terror. The pace never slackens. Characterization is strong, and
descriptive passages set a mood of suspense. There should be a heavy demand from
readers who are not "faint at heart."
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