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Summary
Summary
What if a machine could bring back the ones we love? From New York Times bestseller Lauren DeStefano comes a captivating middle grade tale of loss, love and hope. In this beautiful and poignant novel, acclaimed author Lauren DeStefano tells a story love and loss, and what it means to say goodbye. When Emmaline Beaumont's father started building the ghost machine, she didn't expect it to bring her mother back from the dead. But by locking himself in the basement to toil away at his hopes, Monsieur Beaumont has become obsessed with the contraption and neglected the living, and Emmaline is tired of feeling forgotten. Nothing good has come from building the ghost machine, and Emmaline decides that the only way to bring her father back will be to make the ghost machine work.or destroy it forever.
Author Notes
Lauren Destefano won The Thornton Wilder Award for a short story entitled Orange Blood while in high school. She received a BA in English with a concentration in creative writing from Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut in 2007. She is the author of the Chemical Garden Trilogy.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-8-When Emmeline Beaumont's mother dies suddenly, the girl and her father are understandably bereft. After a time, Emmeline's life resumes a bit of normalcy when she returns to school-but her father becomes obsessed with building a machine to bring his dearly beloved wife back. First the girl loses her mother to death, then she loses her father who no longer sees her but instead is consumed with his machine. Emmeline, with her friends Gully and Oliver, accidentally discovers the machine works, momentarily bringing her mother back but erasing the daughter's lovely memory. Another tragedy forces Emmeline's father to confront what Emmeline has come to realize: memories are more important than a moment. -VERDICT This sad but eloquently told story is movingly narrated by Brittany Pressley. Her nuanced reading adds depth and dimension to the exploration of loss, grief, and healing in this touching exploration which comes full circle to its satisfying conclusion.--Maria Salvadore, formerly at District of Columbia Public Library © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
Emmaline Beaumont was 10 years old when her mother died; two years later, her father remains so consumed by grief that it's almost as if Emmaline has lost both parents. In a desperate attempt to bring his wife back, Monsieur Beaumont tinkers with his "ghost machine" night and day. When Emmaline's attempt to destroy the machine doesn't go as planned, she and readers are left pondering the question at the heart of the book: are precious memories of loved ones worth trading for the chance to interact with them one more time? Emmaline's twin best friends, rational Gully and dreamy Oliver, represent the push and pull between hope and logic that plagues Emmaline and offer her new ways of understanding grief-until a new tragedy casts an even darker shadow on Emmaline's life. Readers should be prepared for heaviness throughout: the relationships DeStefano (The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart) builds between her characters are sweet and piercingly true, but a deep sadness hangs over most of the interactions. Ages 8-12. Agent: Barbara Poelle, Irene Goodman Literary. (June) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Could a machine bring back the ghost of Emmaline's mother?Emmaline Beaumont's father has been obsessively building such a machine, neglecting his daughter and all else. Emmaline feels as if she has lost both parents and decides the only way to reach her father is to destroy the ghost machine forever. She pours a cup of tea, just like her mother used to make, into the electrical contraptionand for just a minute, her mother appears, seemingly alive and well. But she is a ghost and soon vanishes, taking from Emmaline the memory of having tea with her mother. Emmaline shares her experience with her two best friends, twins Gully and Oliver DePaul. The three 12-year-olds wrestle with the moral and emotional implications of bringing back the dead, which is put to the test when the elderly Allemand sisters ask to meet their long-deceased brother. Is a short encounter with the dead worth the price of losing a memory? DeStefano's lyrical writing flows with compassion and clarity, justifying the suspense of disbelief. When a tragic event occurs in the last quarter of the book, the emotional pull may be more than some sensitive readers can handle. But for thoughtful, curious readers, death must be touched and turned and examined. This book provides a close-up of loss, love, and hope. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
For the past two years, 12-year-old Emmaline Beaumont's father has been working day and night in the basement on a ghost machine intended to bring his wife back from the dead. Emmy feels abandoned, until one night, in anger, she flings her cup of tea into the machine's mouth, and before she knows it, her mother appears in the kitchen for a few brief minutes. Without telling her father, Emmy shares her experience with her closest friends, twins Gully and Oliver, who decide they want to test the machine. The problem is that after a memory has been resurrected, it fades until it is gone forever. Oliver and Gully argue the pros and cons of this, while Emmy begins to believe losing a memory is a huge price to pay for a fleeting visit. Discussions between Emmy and the twins explore all sides of the question of revivification, making them seem more mature than expected at times. This eerie book is perfect for readers looking for something atmospheric, thought-provoking, and out of the ordinary.--Fredriksen, Jeanne Copyright 2017 Booklist
