ALA Booklist

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.

Horn Book

When Emmaline's mother dies suddenly, her father attempts to invent a machine that can bring her back. Neglected, Emmaline resents the "ghost machine"; then, with help from friends, twins Gully and Oliver, Emmaline discovers its secret: you can bring someone back, temporarily, by giving up a specific memory of them forever. Packed with emotion, the narrative offers a quiet approach to understanding different ways of grieving.

Kirkus Reviews

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 contraption—and 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)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

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)