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Wait Till Helen Comes  By  cover art

Wait Till Helen Comes

By: Mary Downing Hahn
Narrated by: Ellen Grafton
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Publisher's summary

Twelve-year-old Molly and her 10-year-old brother, Michael, have never liked their younger stepsister, Heather. Ever since their parents got married, she's made Molly and Michael's life miserable. Now their parents have moved them all to the country to live in a house that used to be a church, with a cemetery in the backyard.

If that's not bad enough, Heather starts talking to a ghost named Helen and warning Molly and Michael that Helen is coming for them. Molly feels certain Heather is in some kind of danger, but every time she tries to help, Heather twists things around to get her into trouble. It seems as if things can't get any worse.

But they do - when Helen comes.

©1986 Mary Downing Hahn (P)2008 Brilliance Audio. Produced by special arrangement with Clarion Books, an imprint of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Critic reviews

"Genuinely scary, complete with dark secrets from the past, unsettled graves, and a very real ghost." ( The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books)

What listeners say about Wait Till Helen Comes

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Read but don't listen to this book..

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

I liked this story as a kid. I came across it again by accident and downloaded it for my kids. It's a bit dated but still as spooky as I remember. I'm not sure how my kids will react. I was hoping the audible would give it more effect but it ruined the entire story.

Would you be willing to try another book from Mary Downing Hahn? Why or why not?

Definitely. I read most of her books as a kid.

What didn’t you like about Ellen Grafton’s performance?

She was very stiff and a bit shrilly at times. I would rather listen to Neil Gaiman recite the telephone book than listen to her again. Nicola Barber who read Spirit Animals 1 was great. If you got her to read "Wait Till Helen Comes," I would definitely listen to it again. Now, I'm looking for away to return the audible and get my money back.

What character would you cut from Wait Till Helen Comes?

The parents.

Any additional comments?

Good book. Lousy audible.

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great for family listening

We listened to this on a family trip. All four of my kids, ages 6-13 loved it, and so did my husband and I! I liked the narrator, I thought it was appropriate because of the young sounding voice. The story is from the pov of a12 year old girl. Nicely done! Great story.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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A must Spooky read

Wow this was a great story. I was genuinely spooked. I saw the cover for this book at the elementary school I worked at and was curious but the book was already checked out to a student so checked it out here and listened to in one complete afternoon. I love how it is all tied together and how the ghost girl and the little girl have a similar past and how they have to break away from their sadness and fear to be free and solve the mystery of a 100 year old house fire. Bravo 👏 a must spooky read 👻

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I'M A READER,NOT A LISTENER. BUT I GAVE IT A SHOT

Call me silly but I listened to this children's book and for me, the overall experience was terrific! Though the story line is simple and some may find it cliché, the narrator did a great job delivering every characters' lines, and that's all that matters. Sometimes, for a reader like me and not used to listen to audiobooks, it depends on the narrator if I will continue or not no matter how good the story line is. The narrator should be engaging and know how to switch his/her voice to match the characters personality the way the listeners would feel the emotion. And Ellen Grafton did an amazing job! Looking forward to hear from her more narrating Mary Downing Hahn's stories.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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Flashback!

I enjoyed flashing back to my youth. When I was young, I was terrified of this book and had nightmares. But I loved it then and I enjoyed it now as an adult. I doubt I'll listen to it again, but I'm glad I bought it and listened to it. The narrator did a great job, even though it did take me a bit to get used to her voice.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I love this book

I loved this book as a little girl and I still do now. This author manages to put just the right amount of suspense and creepiness without making it to scary. I plan on my future kids and grandkids being able to pluck this book from my bookshelf and read it themselves one day. I can't wait to share it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Gave me goosebumps several times

It's a classic type story and I am an easy scare. Frustrating adults but I guess that's part of the deal.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Love It!

This was one of my favorite books when I was in elementary school! I remember rereading it, so that I could feel the eerie suspense again and again. Now I am a teacher, and shared the book with my fifth and sixth grade students. They absolutely loved it! Even my male students, who are usually hard to motivate when it comes to reading, were hanging on each word!

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Hard to not get annoyed with Heather

For most of the book I found myself just aggravated because I'm a parent and I know that with stepchildren and children. I would never just believe one over the other. In this book, the parents always believe the little girl. But the last 2 chapters redeemed the book. I wish they got to that faster. Because the ending was very good.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Nice read for 12 and under

I didn’t realize this book was geared towards a very young audience but it took me back to the stories I used to enjoy as a preteen. It’s a story about how kids struggle to integrate when two families come together, a widowed dad and his daughter Heather and a divorced mom and her kids, Molly and Michael. The ghost aspect of the story is almost background and serves to underscore the family dynamics.

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