Wait 'Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn

Review by Emily K

Are you someone who enjoys horror and mystery books? Well then Wait ‘Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn is the book for you. This bone-chilling book is about a twelve-year-old girl named Molly and her ten-year-old brother named Michael. These two have a new, younger step-sister named Heather, who they really don’t like. Molly and Michael’s life has been miserable after their mother and Heather’s father got married because of how annoying Heather is. Also, they have all moved into a creepy house that used to be a church, which has a cemetery for their backyard…how scary! If that’s not bad enough, now Heather starts interacting with a spirit named Helen and begins to warn Michael and Molly that Helen is coming for them. Molly starts to feel that Heather is in danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather will twist things around, to get the parents on her side and Molly always ends up getting in trouble. Things could not get any worse! But when they do—it’s when Helen comes…

The protagonist in this book is Molly, and the antagonists are both Heather and Helen. The big conflict in this story is that Heather is in danger because Helen’s spirit got Heather attached to her, and now she is in danger. But the problem is, Molly tries to help Heather, but all she does is get Molly in trouble, because she now loves Helen…How can Molly help?!

Mysterious, scary, and questioning are few of the many words that describe Wait ‘Till Helen Comes. I thought that this book was very enjoyable. It has a fast pace, which I love. I honestly could not put this book down…the events just made me want to keep reading, like when Molly would get in trouble, and especially when Heather would communicate to Helen. This book was never boring; it always had something going on! I recommend this book to people who love mysteries, from ages nine and up.

This story made me think about respect. It taught me that even if you don’t really like someone, try to respect them, and help them when they’re in a difficult situation, which Molly is trying to help Heather in. It is good on your part because people will just gain respect on you. Like for Molly, since she is trying to help Heather, in the end if everything works out, her parents will be proud of her.

In conclusion, this book is wonderful. Make sure the next time you go to the library to pick up this thriller. 

Honorable Mentions:

• Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff
• The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart
• All the Lovely Bad Ones by Mary Downing Hahn
• Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
• The Doll in the Garden by Mary Downing Hahn