Mary Downing Hahn

Titles:  Closed for the Season; Wait till Helen Comes

Author:  Mary Downing Hahn

Rating:  *  (1 star out of 3 possible)
             Recommended with Reservations

Audience:  Middle School

Hahn's writing (plot, character development) is top notch.  She does not write down to children, nor is she sentimental or sappy.  She understands their relationships, personalities, real fears and imagined worries.  She is a well-known and well-respected author for middle schoolers.  About half her books cover the challenges of growing up, while the other half or more deal with the supernatural.  Parents will want to know which half their kids are bringing home!

Closed for the Season is realistic murder mystery appropriate for ages 12 and up.  When Logan Forbes moves to a new town, he discovers his parents have purchased a house where a murder may or may not have occurred.  Possibly worse than this, the only friend he can make is nerdy neighbor know-it-all Arthur Jenkins.  Logan reluctantly teams up with Arthur to pursue a few clues about the death and they soon find themselves dodging bullies and bad guys.  They break a few rules to solve the mystery (staying out late, trespassing at the defunct amusement park, arguing with parents), but the result is a mostly satisfying denouement.

One main theme regards quality friendship.  As his mom focuses on impressing the "right people," will Logan make friends with the rich/popular/stylish kids, or stick with Arthur?  Bullying is also addressed.  Danny is Logan's nemesis, but when he shows up with his own bruises and black eye, it's clear Danny's dad, Silas, is the truly dangerous one.

A murder mystery contains violence by definition.  As Logan and Arthur close in on the solution, a threat is made against their lives.  There are also brief pop culture references to  The Shining and The Sopranos.  Language also reflects societal norms for boys in middle school.  Arthur is called "Art the Fart" and the word "butt" appears once or twice.  Swearing is referenced once or twice, but not specified.  There is a reference to past teen pregnancy (Danny's mother, Violet).

Parents are portrayed as a mixed bag:  sometimes stubborn or disconnected from their kids, but also loving and supportive.  Wives (Rhoda the Realtor) accuse husbands of being slow and unreliable.  There is a brief conversation implying liberal politics are superior to conservative.

While imperfect, the book is realistic and thought-provoking.  The mystery is engaging and the characters well-drawn.

Wait till Helen Comes crosses genres into the supernatural or horror field.  I recommend it to families who want to have a discussion with their kids about heaven and hell and what happens after we die.  I did not expect to review a supernatural ghost story favorably, and in fact, I do so with some caveats.

Yes, it deals with a full-blown ghost (Helen) appearing to and influencing a young girl (Heather).  Yes, it reveals the possibility that spirits of some type may remain on earth in an unsettling way.  But this is presented in a negative light and as an unwanted consequence.

It's completely clear that Helen is dangerous and needs to be contained.  The situation is not glorified nor attractive-just as the New Testament shows Jesus dealing with demonic possession-not pretty, but plausible.  ("No, Heather.  [Helen] is not your sister.  She's evil and wicked and horrible and you better stay away from her!")

Most kids go through a stage fascinated by ghosts or scary stories around the campfire.  Parents can take advantage of this phase by reviewing what the Bible says about the state of the deceased:  they cease to exist on earth and their souls are immediately transferred to heaven or hell.  (Hebrews 9:27, Luke 16:19-31)  The traditional explanation for ghosts, then, is that Satan allows his demons to trouble or haunt people on earth.  (Notice, this explanation could be far scarier for kids than the idea that we could help put a ghost "to rest," as Heather, Michael and Molly do for Helen.)

Wait till Helen Comes features pretty mature kids (Michael and Molly) who are worldly-wise when it comes to growing up.  They are aware that sometimes fictional tv violence can represent real-life violence:

"The things [Mom] worried about in Baltimore--drug dealers, child molester, speeding cars--didn't exist in Holwell."

Step-sister Heather is a real handful for Michael and Molly, and there are a few verbal battles:

Heather states, "Your mother is [mean]!  I wish she were dead, and you and Michael, too!"  Molly counters, "You're a little monster!"

The descriptions of the ghost's appearances can be detailed or disturbing:

"I saw the glimmer of blue light shape itself in to the figure of a girl no bigger than Heather.  She wore a white dress and her hair, as dark as Heather's, tumbled in waves down her back.  Her features were indistinct, her eyes in shadow, but I knew who she was."

A key discussion occurs between Michael and Molly:

"What do you think happens when people die, though?  Do you think part of you lives forever?  Or do you think it's just like going to sleep and never waking up?"  "I don't know."  "If Helen is real, it means something.  Think what it would be like to be alone for all eternity."

Our kids have those kinds of questions and they deserve our answers.

"It was horrible to die, horrible.  Just to think of myself ending, being gone from the earth forever, terrified me.  I wondered if it might not be better to live on as a ghost; at least some part of Helen remained."

Finally, the characters in Hahn's book conclude that Helen was misguided as well as dangerous.  Having to spend eternity lonely, she apparently decided to lure children to her as companions.  Once she and her parents were properly reunited in burial, she was no longer lonely.

These kinds of assumptions by children (and authors) should be thoroughly debunked by parents.  Give your kids scriptures they can depend on!  (Psalm 4:8)  Everyone is scared or anxious at times.  (Phil 4:6)  Remind your kids that they have a hedge of protection around them!  (John 10:28-29)  Talk about our future hope in heaven.  (Col. 1:5)  For kids who are especially curious, try Randy Alcorn's book Heaven for Kids.

How many ghostly stories you allow your kids to read is up for debate.  It's not my usual cup of tea, but there is value in the discussion.  Ephesians 5:8 & 11 offers the best caveat of all:

"For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Walk as children of light...and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them."  NKJV