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The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead
Book Summary
In 1925, at her family's suburban Philadelphia estate, 13-year-old Emily Stewart discovers she can make a loud rapping noise with her ankle. With her sly twin brother, Michael, Emily entertains gullible schoolmates with "knockings" that spirits purportedly make to answer questions about the afterlife. When adults who have suffered the loss of loved ones start consulting her as a spirit medium, her efforts to give them consolation begin to seem increasingly like cruel deceptions. Based loosely on true events from the early 20th century.
Genres:
This book is about:
- Spiritualism,
- Nineteen twenties,
- Twins,
- Family secrets,
- Brothers and sisters,
- Fiction
NPR stories about The Girl Who Would Speak for the Dead
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It's the summer of 1925, and 13-year-old twins Emily and Michael are roaming around the family estate. Emily discovers she can make a knocking sound with her ankle. With this newly discovered talent, she and her brother start entertaining and amazing their friends with Emily's claimed ability to speak with spirits, and what threatened to be another boring summer gets interesting. When the twins get involved with adults who are anxious to contact their deceased loved ones, things get more... more
—Rona Brinlee
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