One for Sorrow follows Annie, a little girl living in the height of the influenza epidemic. Elsie, an annoying girl disliked by most of the students at Annie’s new school, latches onto Annie as her “best friend” until Annie joins others in bullying her. When Elsie dies from the flu, Annie thinks she’s free. However, even in death she can’t get rid of Elsie, and Elsie hasn’t forgotten who tormented her in life.
My introduction to Mary Downing Hahn, I found One for Sorrow while searching for stories to fill the void left by nostalgic books like Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I was curious to see how Hahn would combine historical and paranormal fiction, and was left with a moral lesson on bullying that didn’t feel ham-fisted because of how realistic the children were depicted in the novel. Sometimes kids can be the kindest people, or they can be the cruelest, and One for Sorrow shows a myriad of characters behaving at their best and their worst and dealing with the consequences of each.
Similar book: Where I Belong
Wait Till Helen Comes follows Molly as she and her family move into an old church in Maryland. Molly and her brother Michael find their stepsister, Heather, annoying because she can do no wrong in their parents’ eyes. Then Heather befriends a ghost named Helen, and what once was constant irritation towards Heather becomes increasing concern for her as they learn Helen’s true intentions.
This is my second favorite book of Hahn’s purely because of the relationship between Molly and Heather. It reminded me a lot of my own relationship with my younger sibling: antagonistic up until one of us was in actual danger. I also really enjoyed the concept of Helen, the only one giving Heather positive attention, being something sinister. It raises the question: would Heather have been put in this situation if Molly and Michael had been nicer to her?
Wait Till Helen Comes was also adapted into a graphic novel and a movie!
Similar book: Deep and Dark and Dangerous
The Girl in the Locked Room follows Jules and her family as they move into a new, run-down house. Jules is immediately on edge in the house, but her parents love it so she pushes her own unease aside. Then she discovers “The Girl,” and she’s swept up in uncovering truths left to rot dozens of years ago.
After reading One for Sorrow, I was so fascinated with Hahn’s writing that I immediately picked up this book and Wait Till Helen Comes. Something I thoroughly enjoyed about this book was the alternating perspectives and the non-linear timeline of events. The fact that the book doesn’t even start with Jules but “The Girl” really gripped my attention when first reading! And a ghost not being made out to be a negative force, despite Jules’ initial wariness, was a pleasant surprise, especially in contrast with many of Hahn’s other stories.
Similar books: All the Lovely Bad Ones, The Old Willis Place
Took follows the story of Daniel and his 7-year-old sister Erica after they move. He doesn’t believe a story about a ghost, assuming another kid is just trying to scare him, but then Erica finds a doll that looks like her and pulls away from Daniel over time. One day, she disappears, and he’s left wondering if the ghost story is actually true.
My younger sibling read Took after I introduced them to Hahn, and their enjoyment of this book is a strong driving factor in me wanting to read it! I expect this book to fall in line with Hahn’s other stories that I’ve enjoyed, considering that the sibling dynamics and the doll plot device always intrigues me. I’m curious to see how the knowledge Daniel has of the ghost, which is all violent, will influence how he navigates the situation!
Took has also been turned into a graphic novel.
Similar book: Guest
The Doll in the Garden follows 10-year-old Ashley chasing a cat into an enchanted garden she is forbidden from entering. In this new world, Ashley encounters mysterious voices lost to the night, a girl with sad eyes, and a buried doll. Secrets are all around her, but if she unravels them, going home becomes an uncertainty.
I find it curious that The Doll in the Garden has a fantasy element, while many of Hahn’s other books remain in the reality of our world, but with a supernatural or paranormal twist. That small difference, the inclusion of a fantasy world, really piqued my interest, especially since the book is a ghost story as well. It makes me question why—why does Ashley go to another world for this story? What truths are there to be discovered that will keep her from leaving?
Similar books: Time for Andrew, Witch Catcher
It’s Nora’s last day of junior year, and two girls are found murdered. Almost everyone in the town believes Buddy Novak is the killer, and Nora believes right along with them for a time. But doubt leads to her eventually see him as innocent—and she seems to be the only one who thinks the two girls could have been murdered by someone else.
What drew me to Mister Death’s Blue-Eyed Girls was the fact that, apparently, this novel was inspired by an actual crime that took place in 1955, and it’s one of the few books by Hahn which doesn’t seem to have a paranormal aspect to it. Although the paranormal is what drew me to Hahn’s books in the first place, I also really enjoy thrillers, and am curious to see if this book is written any differently than the paranormal stories she’s well-known for.
Similar books: The Dead Man in Indian Creek, What We Saw
Grace McCool, Pine Reads Review Writer & Editor