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Reviews tagging 'Death of parent'
Wait Till Helen Comes: A Ghost Story by Mary Downing Hahn
7 reviews
booksanddopamine's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
4.25
I read this with my 10yo. This is his review:
I recommend this book if you like a mix of scary and sad. I liked the tension between the characters. I didn't like that the parents weren't really listening to their kids and didn't talk with them about anything. They didn't even talk to them about moving! The parents only cared about what they wanted.
I liked that there was a happy ending and that Molly ended up understanding Heather.
I give it 4.5 stars.
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My review:
It was a fine book and decent for middle grade horror. A lot of it felt repetitive and it took a while for the story to get going. The parents were pretty awful for most of it. My son kept interjecting with, "What?! Why aren't their parents listening to them?!" The book offered plenty of opportunities for us to discuss what the parents could have done differently, and also explore why Heather might be acting the way she was.
It's not super scary, but there is a focus on the death of a parent and trauma which might be heavy for some sensitive young readers.
I give it 3.75 stars, so I'll round the star rating out to 4.25.
I recommend this book if you like a mix of scary and sad. I liked the tension between the characters. I didn't like that the parents weren't really listening to their kids and didn't talk with them about anything. They didn't even talk to them about moving! The parents only cared about what they wanted.
I give it 4.5 stars.
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My review:
It was a fine book and decent for middle grade horror. A lot of it felt repetitive and it took a while for the story to get going. The parents were pretty awful for most of it. My son kept interjecting with, "What?! Why aren't their parents listening to them?!" The book offered plenty of opportunities for us to discuss what the parents could have done differently, and also explore why Heather might be acting the way she was.
It's not super scary, but there is a focus on the death of a parent and trauma which might be heavy for some sensitive young readers.
I give it 3.75 stars, so I'll round the star rating out to 4.25.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death of parent
andmingmingtoo's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
An absolute classic from my middle school horror days-- Heather makes me so mad in the beginning and I hate destruction of property, like that one scene makes me so mad and angry but it's such a classic ghost story told well
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Bullying, Child death, Grief, Death, Death of parent, and Emotional abuse
racheldallaire's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I always love rereading this one. It is one of my favorite books of all time and it was fun to listen to the audio with my 7yo and Paul. It's a well-crafted ghost story. At times, it was hard to listen to the brokenness of the family-especially Heather, but the redemption that comes at the end makes it worth it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, and Death
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
There's an adult that doesn't believe credible children, and is quite verbally harsh/mean toward them. Lots of depictions of the brokenness within a blended family. Childhood trauma that is not recognized/dealt with.dnlrbchd's review
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I borrowed this repeatedly from my elementary school library but could only remember the broad strokes of the story rather than the title of the book. I recently figured it out and immediately borrowed it from the public library. It didn't disappoint. It's a tight, well-paced read with just the right amount of spooky given the intended audience.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Grief
jeriblueberri's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
One of my childhood favorites, reread it to spark something in me. I enjoyed it but it was very short.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Death of parent
mermaidsherbet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Bullying, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent and Child death
ladylivs's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
I'm sure as an indiscriminate reader when I was a kid, I would have enjoyed this book. But it was too frustrating to read as a 28-year-old. Like, insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, right? Well the MC was definitely insane.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
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