Hahn's famous ghost story sees new life in graphic-novel format.When a blended family uproots their lives from their home in Baltimore to live in a converted church out in the country, the tension between the family members is strained to the breaking point. Seven-year-old Heather, who is frequently rude to her older stepsiblings, Molly and Michael, and their mother, Jean, becomes obsessed with a tombstone in the old church's graveyard. The tombstone has no name, only initials (the same as Heather's), and when Heather refers to the grave's inhabitant as Helen, the family slowly learns that this is more than just an imaginary friend. Helen's power over Heather grows as she makes plans to spend the rest of her afterlife with this new friend. Making effective use of color to move between everyday domestic scenes and far more chilling moments, this version modernizes the story. The illustrations give both Heather and her father, Dave, a menacing quality that will have readers guessing where exactly the horror lies. The denouement wraps up organically, proving that even the scariest of stories can have a happy ending. Readers familiar with the original tale will be pleased with this faithful adaptation, and new fans will be eager to read more from Hahn. Molly, Michael, and Jean are light-skinned, while Dave and Heather are tan-skinned; some supporting characters present as Black.An adaptation that feels as fresh as a newly dug grave. ((Graphic novel. 8-12))

Gr 4–6 —A classic children's thriller receives an eerie graphic novel retelling that hits all the right notes. Siblings Molly and Michael have tried bridging the divide between them and their young stepsister, Heather, whose trauma at losing her mother in a fire that almost took her own life shows itself in hostile behavior. The family moves into a rural country church with a backyard graveyard, where Heather claims to befriend a ghost named Helen, who died in a fire in 1880. Heather tells Michael and Molly that Helen will make them pay for mistreating Heather "when she comes," and Molly discovers that Helen is all too real and has sinister motivations that will put Heather's life at risk unless someone intervenes. VERDICT Laxton and Peterson create a chilling and faithful adaptation of Hahn's original novel, with creepy imagery, an eerie blue and purple palette, and solid pacing between dialogue and omniscient narration. Characters are realistically human and present as white.—Rosemary Kiladitis