Sunday, April 11, 2010

Wait Till Helen Comes

OMG.

I read this book years ago, but the cover still scares the bejesus out of me. I mean, look at the horrible eighties sweatshirt! Look at the mullet hair! And look at the ghost's hair - what curls and body!

Anyway, I was always reading at a higher level than my peers, and though this book was meant for fourth through seventh grade readers, I can guarantee that I read it in the second grade. Which makes my screams from the top bunk of the bunk bed even more understandable.

(Note: I did not re-read this book. This review is based purely on memory and a quick glance at the book description on Amazon. And nightmares.)

Wait Till Helen Comes is narrated by Molly. Molly's mother has recently remarried and Molly and her brother can't stand their new stepsister, Heather, because she's a heinous bitch. Ha!

The parents are dirty hippies and buy an old church that's been converted into a house. They need studio space because they are both artists. Great idea! I'm sure that pays the bills. Of course, the church comes with a fantastic adjacent graveyard. Just the kind of place for children to be traipsing around.

Heather makes friends with a ghost named Helen, and long story short, Helen wants Heather to be with her forever. I remember there being a pond and an attempted drowning, and the siblings all become friends in the end. I do not remember much parental involvement. There may also have been a fire. I just don't remember if it was in the church or anther building.

Heather was such a bitch, though.

2 comments:

JLR said...

oh my goodness, I remember reading this! I don't remember much about it actually, just that I read it, but you just made my day by putting the cover on your blog. :)

Heather said...

jlr - Well you are WELCOME. I don't even know how it came to mind (oh wait, I do. I got a teen "horror" book from the library and I thought that it was complete crap, though well written and interesting and then got to thinking about what I used to read besides Babysitter's Club and the like, and then I remembered that EVIL book!).