wait till helen comes by mary downing hahn

Unfortunately, Heather’s horrid attitude only worsens after the move. Jean, desperate to make this entire situation work, begs her older children to be more understanding because Heather is “such an unhappy little girl.” The adults repeatedly excuse Heather’s behavior because she was traumatized at age two her biological mother died in a house fire and Heather nearly joined her. Heather also shows no affection for Jean, who she sees more as competition than a parent. From the start, the girl makes her step-siblings’ lives a living hell - Heather regularly sheds crocodile tears and accuses Molly and Michael of bullying so Dave will dote on her.

Meanwhile, Heather is not the easiest character to care about. Michael neither fantasizes, nor does he put much stock in his older sister’s increasingly wild theories and growing paranoia.ĭay by day, our lives seemed to grow unhappier, as if she had the ability somehow to reach out from the grave and touch us all with her misery. Her brother Michael is ten years old, but his mind is adultlike. Everyone else in her family is unfazed by what this collection of old headstones, markers and bones all represent, whereas Molly is forced to confront her feelings about death and the unknown.

She can’t stand knowing this place is behind her new home, and even worse, she feels isolated because of her fear.

Upon first sight of the cemetery, Molly is numbed by her intense fear of death. Unlike other residents in the cemetery, though, this H.E.H. The grave found under a tree is marked with the initials “H.E.H.,” which also happen to be Heather’s initials. Heather finds a grave that the churchyard’s caretaker didn’t even know about. The family’s supernatural problem begins with the discovery of a cemetery behind the property this was something the parents neglected to tell their kids before moving them to the middle of nowhere. Michael disappears into the woods every day to conduct his scientific research while his older and biological sister, Molly, is left to look after their resentful 7-year-old stepsister, Heather. As Jean and Dave work that summer, their three children are left to entertain themselves until school starts. Wait Till Helen Comes begins with a blended family of five moving to the small country town of Holwell, Maryland after the parents buy a renovated church. Indeed, Helen will not only come, but she will do whatever it takes to find that perfect playmate for all eternity. The fact is, the deceptive spirit of Mary Downing Hahn’s 1986 book habitually sets her sights on children, preys on their insecurities and twists the truth to her advantage. She may act protective, yet Helen is the furthest thing from a guardian angel. The namesake of Wait Till Helen Comes is no friendly ghost.

Wait till helen comes by mary downing hahn