Mary Downing HahnReseñas

I loved Mary Downing Hahn books as a child. She has a way of writing horror that can scare the Jesus out of a child, but not so much that they don’t continue to love the genre. This graphic novel does an OK job. It is better than other books in the graphic novel Hahn books. The graphic novels are very wordy and long. Sometimes they’re a pain to get through. This one wasn’t a pain, but one felt every page. I’m also not a big fan of the art style. It works with the books, but I don’t find it complements the story. Overall, I do like this book because I like the original it’s based on. If not for that, I might not suggest this to other readers.

I guess I start a dnf shelf now? This book would have been interesting if I was family but as it was it was just a collection of stories of someone I didn’t know. They gave a small glimpse into what life was like, but not like the classic children’s historical fiction such as Little House, Lois Lenski books or Ralph Moody. For that reason it isn’t worth my shelf space as there are simply better books out there.

Ok listen, from the perspective of an almost forty year old, this book is not superb literature. The parents are funky and way out of touch, Heather is a super brat, Molly and Michael are the only ones remotely with it, and everything wraps up hunky-dory in 90 minutes worth of speed reading. BUT...of all the thousands of books I read between three years old and my senior year of high school, this is one that made a huge impression on me. I can't count the number of times I read it and it still freaks me right out. This book helped me win Battle of the Books at the city level in the 5th grade. I've gotta give it 5 stars--for nostalgia, for fifth grade, for West Park Elementary School in Hermiston, Oregon, and for poor, long-suffering heroine Molly.

Amazing writing, but the plot progresses horribly. Bland characters. Melodramatic. Unrealistic.

Every time a Mary Downing Hahn book crosses my path, I wish I had read it when I was little. So I took this one home and read it last night. Enjoyed it quite a bit, actually! I had a few quibbles with the grammar, but I will recommend this book to youngsters at my store. It is spooky but not really "scarey."

[edit]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

I expected this to be a calm and only slightly spooky horror tale. Imagine my surprise when elements of the story were WAY darker than I expected them to be! I've never read anything by Mary Downing Hahn before, and honestly, this novel makes me want to look into her other works. Or see more graphic novel adaptions of her works! The beginning of the novel feels very stereotypical, a common "We're spending the summer with Grandma and have an adventure" type of story. But in the middle, it changes into something with genuinely good suspense and a mystery that keeps you hooked. While yes, this is intended for middle school age readers, it is still very much a horror story and doesn't shy away from that fact. Though I will say, even as an adult reader, my jaw dropped at how gruesome some of the plot elements are. I'm not going to say what those exact elements are, because I don't want to spoil it, but if I read this while I was in middle school, I think I would have lost my marbles just a wee bit. The ending was bittersweet and so well done. All of the plot threads are tied up neatly in a bow, and everyone gets what they deserve. The art style is excellent! They really made you feel just how terrifying some of the ghosts are, through the art alone. I will admit, the main reason I even choose this graphic novel to read is because I loved the art on the cover. If there are more adaptions of Hahn's ghost series, I really hope they have this team illustrate those as well!

Not really a ghost story. I did enjoy it quite a bit.

A quick read and an enjoyable little ghost story.

An engaging middle grade mystery.

An interesting middle grade ghost story. There is a mystery to be solved, lost things to find, and spirits (good and evil) to put to rest. I very much enjoyed reading this book.

A quick middle grade suspense/ghost story. The twist was predictable, but I'm also older than the target age range. Overall, it was a fun read. I kept waiting for them to go to the library since it seems like every kid in MDH books ends up there eventually, but they never did! That was the real twist, I guess.

Interesting story about witches and fae.

A classic ghost story with a creepy twist.

Entertaining little time travel story. Starts off slow, but picks up towards the middle.

Great little ghost story that deals with love and loss and forgiveness.

Not as scary as I remembered. Compelling supernatural mystery/thriller.

The moral of this coming of age story is 'Be careful what you wish for.'

A heartwarming ghost story where you get the perspective of the ghost, as well as, the people trying to help her rest for eternity.

A compelling read that deals with death, revenge, and overcoming loneliness.

I found this book's setting refreshing. I love Mary Downing Hahn, but most of her books are set in rural Virginia and that gets old after a while. This book is set in Ireland and I found it to be her most enjoyable book yet! All the characters felt real and had their own distinct personalities. The main character, Mollie, had a great character arc. I was reluctant to read this because I thought it was going to be a Virginian take on the changeling myth, but I was happily surprised that it was the traditional myth instead.

DNF @ page 82.

It really pains me to DNF this! The plot is boring and the main character is dumb. There are references to modern day things, but this twelve year old child doesn’t like them?

This book is a bunch of blather about serious topics that are not handled well at all.
CW: this book tries to romanticize suicidal ideation; mentions of sex; underage drinking; motor vehicle accident

Other reviewers have noted that this book should have been from the boyfriend's perspective -because it's aaaallll about him-. Information the protagonist doesn't have access to is conveniently dumped on readers' laps and we should progress merrily like that was the plan all along. Much of what is discussed would pack more emotional power if told through the boyfriend's perspective instead of him relaying stuff to her. Spencer's suicidal ideation begins on page 142 of the edition I was reading. There isn't a good buildup to it. Instead, readers are treated to multiple stanzas per page of other people's poetry, and the two teenagers are So Deep for quoting them flawlessly back and forth. I'm so glad I didn't read this as a teenager. I would have quoted poetry even more to others and expected them to do it back, emboldened by this book. Albinoni in G Minor is a real song, and I like listening to the accordion part. Sex begins on page 162, and it's even -described- in a way I found annoying, despite several references being fade to black scenes. Spencer and Lauren are Chedward and AnaBella clones, or since this came out in the 90s, probably not. The dynamics are the same.

On page 214, Spencer is revealed to have been in a terrible motorcycle accident. This is so common IRL that I hear them referred to as "donor-cycles" a lot, since posthumous organ donation usually follows frequent fatalities. It's what popped into my head the instant there was a motorcycle in this book. It's a habit. For the next several pages, a nurse helpfully blabs updates to Lauren for weeks. She's...not family, or married to him. All you have is her word that they're dating. HIPAA had been in place for three years in the USA by this point. That nurse reeeeally wanted to lose their job, apparently. Lauren develops into a Mary Sue perhaps midway through the novel, and it especially shows up here. I was annoyed. The HEA was lackluster and a little weird.

Other reviewers have indicated Mary Downing Hahn should stick to ghost stories. I concur as a result of reading this book. She's a talented writer, but this is not an example of that.

I had the good fortune, as it were, to read this directly after another book I hated. Reading a good book soothed my frustration. I flew through this! -This- is an example of what Mary Downing Hahn is capable of, and I basked in it as a reader. The style is what I was used to of hers. Great imagery and details were once again present throughout. It won't be on my Halloween month reading list, but it was good. I'd recommend this for people who want ghostly kids in their stories, and especially budding sociopaths. Oh, I was worried I'd fall asleep and Sissy would be there if I turned over. Didn't happen, thankfully. The way the mystery was set up was good. I was interested every step of the way and was predicting many twists. I was wrong, but I was having fun. The ending was...maybe not a natural conclusion since Sissy was scary, but I was glad somehow still. Mostly scared and annoyed. A mark of good writing, when multiple emotions rise up in readers.

i just remembered i read this book as a kid and LOVED IT

Wait Till Helen Comes, the graphic novel, is a spooky, atmospheric tale about a girl named Molly who moves with her family from Baltimore to a secluded church-turned house nestled in the country. Molly has no interest in the paranormal so when she discovers a hidden graveyard in the woods near her home, she wants nothing to do with it. And when her stepsister, heather, begins sneaking off to the graveyard, talking to someone named 'Helen', and generally acting strange, she wants no part of that either. It's only when Molly begins to fear for Heather's life that she faces her fear to save her family.

I loved this book. I love a good ghost story and this had it all. Creepy house, creepy graveyard, a trip to the library to research on a ghost. There were moments that were genuinely creepy and had me a little spooked. I would have loved this book as a child. All that being said, the parents frustrated the life out of me. I didn't like how they moved to this new house with the intention of having Michael and Molly babysit Heather while they worked. It seems unfair to put those parental responsibilities on children, especially when the child being babysat is noticeably struggling and defiant. I also disliked how Molly was blamed for literally everything when she obviously was not the one to blame.

Overall though, I really enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author!