Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Wait Till Helen Comes

Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn (Sandpiper, 2008, reissue.) This is actually a ghost story rather than a mystery, but I read so many good reviews I had to dive in. First off, I would have loved this story as a kid. In fact, I vaguely remember the plot, as if my friend read it and told me the whole story.

Molly and Michael move with their mother and stepfather to an old church (remodeled to be a home) in the country. Their mother neglected to tell them that their backyard is a graveyard. Apparently, she thought it was no big deal. She seemed like a nice enough lady, but this oversight made me think she was a total dingbat. I mean, I'm a grown woman and if I was made to sleep anywhere near a graveyard, I would want some advance warning.

Well, as it turns out Molly and Michael have bigger fish to fry: their younger stepsister Heather. She is so bratty and manipulative, that Molly goes so far as to compare her to The Bad Seed. If you'll recall, the toe headed little girl in that movie is a stone cold killah. To make matters worse, Heather and Molly and Michael stumble upon a grave of a girl with the same initials as Heather. Doing some research at their local library, they learn that the dead girl is Helen, who died, along with her mother and stepfather, long ago in a fire. (Heather's mother also died in a fire. Coincidence? I think not. Actually, it is a coincidence.)

Heather begins warning Molly and Michael to "Wait till Helen comes. Then you'll be sorry." Note to Heather: this is the sort of thing that gets you labeled as a psycho by your new family. You might be wondering: what will they be sorry for? Who knows? Heather is always tattling on them to her daddy for things they didn't even do. I guess they'll be sorry for not really liking Heather.

According to town lore, Helen is a very real ghost. But only Molly believes this. Her pragmatic brother Michael, and her mother and stepfather do not. Guess who's right? Hint, this is a real ghost story--not a Scooby Do number--where the ghost turns out to be Old Man Higgins or whatever. You're right. Helen is real. But just how psycho is she--and is Heather really a bad seed? You'll have to see for yourself.

The verdict: This was an enjoyable ghost story that was creepy but kid-friendly.

How the author got the parents out of the picture: Molly and Michael are basically in charge of Heather while their mother and stepfather do artwork. This is realistic because they live in the country and have room to roam and explore. Needless to say Heather is a bit of a handful due to being a psychopath, but the parents don't know that.

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