Daphne's Book

I've always associated Mary Downing Hahn almost exclusively with her memorable scary novels, including the Caudill Award-winning Time for Andrew. This book has added dimension to my perception of the author. What makes Daphne's Book so effective for what it is—a story of cautious friendship slowly b......more

This was my first real experience reading something that dealt with class differences, in addition to social groups in middle school. It never occurred to me in my private school bubble that kids would go to bed hungry, or not have heat and hot water, or not have a competent adult in their life to p......more

This book was originally published in 1983. The edition I read was a paperback reprint from 2008. It's a timeless story but also feels very much set in the 1980's. The succinct story would've been perfect material for an Afterschool Special. Mary Downing Hahn is a prolific writer of ghost stories, b......more

Lately I've been really interested in children's ghost stories and on Goodreads I kept running across Mary Downing Hahn, author of Wait Till Helen Comes, along with numerous other ghost books for kids. I just got my hands on a bunch of her books and among them was Daphne's Book. I had thought that I......more

Jessica is paired up with Daphne to write a picture book. Daphne is the one girl who everyone in school avoids. As Jessica is forced to work with the silent Daphne she discovers that Daphne is a girl worth knowing and that she has a lot in common with Daphne. As Jessica learns more about Daphne's ho......more