The Incredible Talking Machine

I’m no writer – I’ve said before that I have next to no imagination, which obviously makes writing stories incredibly difficult – but I imagine that for relatively new authors there must be an increased amount of pressure when you publish your second title. If your new book is a sequel, then you need to please the fans you already have but stay true to the original text, and if it is a standalone then not only might you have to please those fans but you also need to come up with something fresh and original.

In the case of Jenni Spangler, whose debut title The Vanishing Trick was one of my favourite reads of 2020, such was my love of that book that as soon as I saw the publication of this read announced on Twitter I pre-ordered a copy from my local indie, without even bothering to google the title to read the blurb. Since then, I have been regularly checking Net Galley in the hopes that I would be able to get a sneaky advance read and was rewarded this week when it appeared, and I was approved shortly afterwards. Having devoured it in the space of a day, I can tell you that the good news is that while very different in tone from The Vanishing Trick, this is another wonderful story, skilfully told, and one which is certain to delight its readers.

Our narrative opens in Manchester’s Theatre Royale – an establishment haunted by the ghost of Cold Annie, whose appearance is said to foretell a performance going horribly wrong. For Tig Rabbit, however, Annie’s presence is usually a comfort – a distraction from her loneliness – until the time comes for her to light the lamps in the rigging above the stage and, momentarily losing concentration when she spots Annie, she drops something which falls onto the blanketed machine of Professor Faber – the theatre’s latest act.

Climbing down to face the music, Tig is told off by both theatre manager Mr Snell and the professor, who uncovers his creation to reveal an incredible machine with a human face – a machine with the ability to speak. Snell decides that rather than sacking Tig as a punishment for her behaviour, she will act as the professor’s assistant for the duration of his stay and so Tig sets about trying to help him as best she can. A cross Faber does not immediately relish the prospect of her help but begrudgingly shows her how the machine, which he has named Euphonia, works and Tig vows to prove to him she can be trusted.

When the machine mysteriously starts to speak of its own accord, Tig and the professor are left wondering what its cryptic messages mean. It soon becomes clear to Tig that Euphonia is trying to warn them about something terrible, and she must work out what that is before it becomes too late. With Snell threatening to kick her out and Faber unsure as to how much she can be trusted, can Tig save the day?

Despite a rough start to her young life, Tig has such big dreams for herself and aspires to one day be a theatre manager. When Faber comes along with Euphonia, she sees the opportunity to put into practice some of the ideas that she has but is thwarted at almost every turn – either by Faber, initially, or by Snell. As she starts to gain Faber’s trust, she cannot control her enthusiasm in her new role as his assistant, which leads to her apparently messing up time and time again, much to the delight of Snell who is trying to find a reason to get rid of her. Faber, though, has his own reasons for believing that she is trustworthy and continues to give her chances to prove herself, ultimately giving her the confidence she needs to solve the mystery of what is happening; sending the reader a powerful message about the importance of perseverance and supporting others.

I am always fascinated to read how authors come up with the ideas for their work, and at the back of the book Jenni Spangler reveals that Professor Faber was a real man, who lived almost 200 years ago and who did indeed bring his talking machine to England. Unlike in this story, he had no Tig to assist him with his stage act but a little googling brings up the details of his machine, the description of which tallies very well with both the text and Chris Mould’s wonderful illustrations, bringing it vividly to life for a 21st Century audience. Although it could be argued that today’s children are considerably more sophisticated than their Victorian counterparts, with the incredible technology available to them, they will be captivated by the idea of the machine talking for itself because it is delightfully creepy without being overly scary.

Suitable for confident readers in Year 4 upwards – or as a shared read for slightly younger or less-confident children – this is a great story, packed full of mystery, excitement and with the thrill of a theatrical ghost too. It would make a fabulous class reader, with scope for some wonderful cross curricular art or DT work, linking in to looking at levers for example in science, and I know many class teachers will be using this next year to do just that.

Huge, huge thanks must go, as always, to Simon and Schuster Children’s Books and Net Galley for my advance read, ahead of publication on June 24th. A magical 5 out of 5 stars.

Deliciously dark & twisty, I loved this mystery adventure from Jenni Spangler. Tig takes us to Victorian Manchester, with clever links to Science, theatre & historical life. Quirky characters with a vile villain and a strong female protagonist, think Phantom of the Opera for kids! I especially enjoyed the link to Faber's real life experiments, cleverly done and will easily captivate the reader.

What they say:
Twelve-year-old Tig works at Manchester's Theatre Royale, cleaning, selling tickets and doing anything else that is asked of her by her tyrannical boss, Mr Snell. Tig will do whatever it takes to get closer to her dream – to become a Stage Manager and spend her days inventing new ways to imagine and build the intricate machinery and props that bring the exciting productions to life! But when a strange new act – a talking machine – arrives at the Theatre Royale, it moves and behaves in a way that Tig just can’t work out. It’s as though it’s alive somehow . . . And when the machine appears to be hiding a dangerous secret, Tig must race against time to solve the mystery, before everything and everyone she cares about is lost forever. A Victorian adventure full of ghost, gadgets and shifty villains, from the critically-acclaimed Jenni Spangler, who's debut The Vanishing Trick, was selected as Waterstones Book of the Month.

What I say:
Just buy it now! Absolutely brilliant, a compelling story, a heroic protagonist and a bad baddie! Tig is a wonderful main character, there's a mystery to solve and villans to outwit. My three boys enjoyed it and the illustrations (same as her prevou bok, also highly recommended) are just the best!

Set in Victorian Manchester, Tig is twelve years old and lives and works at The Theatre Royal, cleaning, lamp lighting and anything else her tyrant of a boss, Mr Snell, tells her to do. The theatre hasn't been doing so well so when Professor Faber arrives with a rather unusual talking machine, Tig hopes it will change the theatre's fortunes. Unfortunately, the professor is not a natural born performer and Mr Snell seems intent on ensuring that this new act fails - but why? Then Tig begins to realise that the machine actually seems to be talking to her on its own which is impossible. How is that happening and what is it trying the tell her?
Having loved The Vanishing Trick, I was very excited to see that Jenni had a new book coming out and was even more excited when I was able to read it early thanks to the magic that is Net Galley!

Jenni has a wonderful way of writing that lures you in and keeps you gripped, in both the way she builds the worlds she is creating as well as the the way she develops her characters. In The Incredible Talking Machine, steeped in Victorian England, you are instantly transported to a city of cotton mills and poverty, where the main character lives in a dusty corner of the theatre as she has no home to go to. The theatre itself is dark and mysterious, keeping you on edge with talk of ghosts and mysterious goings on - there is just enough darkness to keep you on the edge of your seat, but not quite enough to make you want to sleep with the light on at night (unless, perhaps, you happen to live in a theatre!).

It's the characters though that make this book. Tig is a wonderfully feisty twelve year old who is happy to say exactly what is on her mind as it comes to her, regardless of the consequences; she's of an age where she speaks before she really thinks things through and this invariably gets her into trouble (I suspect there will be many readers who will be able to relate to her because of this!). It has to be said though, that everything she says and does is because she feels she is doing the right things and she is tormented by this more and more as the machine reveals more of its words to her. She's a wonderful character and one I would love to get to know more (please tell me I'll get to know her more in the future, Jenni!). On the other hand, we have Mr Snell, who really is a rather evil character when all is said and done! Selfish and only out for his own gains, he cares for nobody and nothing but himself and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. His whole attitude and demeanour made me want to reach into the book and give him a good shake on more than one occasion!

Illustrated once again by Chris Mould, his fabulous work only adds to the atmosphere and that front cover is just divine!

Friendship, loyalty, ghostly goings on and a brilliantly woven plot all go to make this book a superb read and I know that it will be a big hit when it's released on the 24th June. A suitably dark encounter for those long summer days!!

The Incredible Talking Machine has all the elements of a truly fantastic children’s book: it has great characters (protagonists to root for and villains to detest), it’s entirely unpredictable, it’s the perfect level of creepy and it has the undercurrent of an unsolved mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself hungry to read the next chapter to see where Jenny Spangler would take me next.

The story follows Tig, a twelve year old who lives and works at a theatre in Manchester. When a strange new act arrives at the Theatre Royale, unusual and mysterious things begin to happen. Can Tig race against time to solve the mystery or will she lose everyone she loves forever?

The Incredible Talking Machine is a glorious gothic mystery filled with spooky twists and dark turns. It would be perfect for Year 5 upwards and I fully intend to share it with my class. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

When I spotted Jenni Spangler had written a second book, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it! The Vanishing Trick was one of my favourite books of 2020 so I knew The Incredible Talking Machine was going to be something special. I was right!

The Incredible Talking Machine is a cleverly crafted story about fighting your fate and discovering truth, led by Tig Rabbit, a feisty and courageous girl who works at the Theatre Royale in Victorian Manchester. Struggling with finances, the theatre is under threat of closure unless they can come up with an act that will draw in the crowds. Then Professor Faber arrives from Vienna with his Incredible Talking Machine – a mechanical head that speaks with a human voice.

What seems like an amazing technological invention soon turns spooky when the head starts speaking on its own. Suddenly, eerie prophecies set everyone on edge and everything keeps going wrong. Tig’s intuition tells her she must try to stop tragedy from striking but whatever she does just makes things worse. The fascinating turns spine-chilling as Tig strives to discover what the strange messages mean, save the theatre and protect her future.

The fact that this story is based on a real machine and a real inventor makes it even more intriguing. Professor Faber and his ground-breaking invention inspired many scientists, including those who went on to develop the telephone.

Jenni Spangler has done it again with her uniquely dark, supernatural style sprinkled with hope. Like The Vanishing Trick, this shadowy mystery grips its readers from the start and carries them through a fast-paced, deliciously creepy story.

Thank you to Simon and Schuster UK Children’s for a sneak peak of this fantastic book! It is definitely going on my pre-order list!