Recommended Age:
11
+
Best for independent readers who enjoy suspenseful, immersive, and character-driven ghost stories.
About the Book
When Molly's new blended family moves to a converted church in rural Maryland, her troubled stepsister Heather falls under the influence of a malevolent ghost child named Helen who drowned in a nearby pond and wants Heather to join her. A genuinely frightening middle-grade ghost story that has terrified generations of readers. One of Hahn's most famous and disturbing novels.
Content Ratings
💡
Intense Themes
A deeply troubled child is processing her mother's death in a fire and directing hostility toward her stepsister. A malevolent ghost preys on the vulnerable child's grief. This book contains themes of grief, suicidal ideation, manipulation, and unresolved trauma. The tone is emotionally intense and genuinely frightening.
⚔️
Moderate Violence
A vengeful ghost who drowned in life attempts to lure a living child to drown as well. The climax involves a near-drowning. The danger is more psychological and frightening than physically graphic.
Engagement:
Genre:
Horror
Published:
1986
Page Count:
184
