WOW! just wow! I really enjoyed this book. I'm sorry I took so long to get around to reading it. A fantasy/sci-fi/mystery about a magical typewriter that spans 3 continents and several generations that also deals with family secrets and grief. A great combination.

Grandfather Jack is back in 15 year old Elizabeth's life after travelling the world for 8 years. He brings with him a typewriter that makes strange 'whiz-bang' sounds and emits an electric shock to those who touch it. What is it trying to tell them? Elizabeth and Jack set off on an adventure to solve the mystery before it's too late. Great fun, lots of action and a story that's actually based in fact -- the history of the invention of the typewriter. I'm happy to see there is a sequel!

I loved the idea of this book and requested it due to the description.
I did want to find out more about the grandfather and the protagonist's destiny with the machine. Time travel? Bloodlines?...
However sadly it wasn't something I finished - I didn't like the dominance of the dialogue and the style was too clunky for me.

The premise of this novel was gripping and along with the steam punkesque cover, I couldn't wait to get into the Whizbang Machine. The story starts with Jack bringing back the typewriter to his granddaughter after years of running away from his past. It is connected to them and sets of a huge series of crazy events, that drags them all the way from New York City to a small town in Europe in an attempt to solve this mystery. This novel was full of unique and strange characters with a steady progression of events that never leaves the reader bored. Overall, being so engrossed in the story allowed the ending to take me completely by surprise although I did find it immensely frustrating that the author left this ending on a cliffhanger to prepare us for the second installment of this story but I so wanted a conclusive ending.

I do appreciate the chance to review this book. I really wanted to like it because I love old typewriters. I tried three times to read this, but gave up. The unlikable characters are what soured it for me. The main character acted very immature and bratty for her age - more like 10 or 11 - instead of 15. The grandfather appeared to be pushy and selfish.

Unfortunately I didn't finish the book, it wasn't for me, but once again thank you very much for allowing me to read it.

Kind of a mess for a final draft.
What a great story! And that's it.
Something got lost along the way. It seems as if the story didn't really start until much later in the finished product. So much potential, but just kind of fizzled.
I do look forward to more from the author.

Interesting premise, poor execution. The main character comes across as far too immature for her age. The writing style leaves much to be desired--this book needs a good editor for both proofreading (which hopefully will be fixed since this is an ARC) and structure. Younger readers may overlook these flaws and enjoy a good adventure, but I'll only recommend this for purchase at my libraries is we get several requests. I look forward to future work by this author to see how her writing style develops.

After years of running from his tragic past, Jack Yale books a flight home. With him is a typewriter that is intended to be a gift for his granddaughter, Elizabeth.The minute Elizabeth's fingers cradle the large black and cream keys the machine responses: popping, sizzling, and roaring to life with a Whiz-Whiz-BANG!

Elizabeth quickly discovers the typewriter has powers beyond anything she hasever seen. The more she types, the more the machine spells out guarded secrets. Each secret leads them deeper into a haunted past. Each secret must be revealed in order to set history straight and remove a curse that has been on their family for centuries.

To solve the mystery, Elizabeth Yale, alongside Jack, will have to crack the code of the Whizbang Machine. What they find challenges their most basic assumptions of their family, the history of the typewriter, and even Elizabeth's father's death. The ultimate goal is to remove the curse. The question is: will Jack and Elizabeth be able to carry out their mission?

The concept of this book is great, I loved the idea of a magical old typewritier that can type your family secrets, it promised of adventure between Elizabeth and her Grandfather Jack.
It however appeared stilted with age inappropriate language used, as if the author has found a good idea but not gone to the bother to research the type of language her main characters would use based on age and on the situations.
The book is not well edited and that does grate when you are trying to lose yourself in the book.
Overall this book idea has possibility but the edition I read did not encourage me to read any more from this author.

I couldn't finish this book. It just didn't seem to make any sense.

Okay. I love YA, and it is with an open mind I read this one but it missed the mark in MANY ways. I read two other reviews that went WAY overboard with what was wrong with the book so I have no need to go into detail like that. So I feel there was definitely a lot of wonder in the story, a loving grandfather and I enjoyed it but there was a little more detail needed for the story 5 tighten it a bit to make it more believable. But I have to say my kids saw their grandparents in another country after 5 or 6 years and they behaved the same way upon meeting them and then proceeded to roll their eyes and start using cell phones, lol. So that part was spot on teenager speak and shame on the previous reviewer for saying teen girl won't say same old same old. It Isn't about an adult greeting another adult, so yes the book was appropriate. Other than a little story development, a little more editing for errors, there is nothing else needed. My review is up on Amazon under my name Kimberly-Aisha Hashmi

This was an interesting book and an intriguing concept. Could a machine, even an extraordinary one, do all that it did through all those generations of the family to right a wrong and end a curse? I guess I'll just have to wait for the next installment...

The book looked very promising. Although it was interesting, it was slightly too slow paced for me. There wasn't enough oomph. I wanted to like it.

Here is a book that reads as though the author submitted her novel to an editor and the editor said, "You know what? This could be a series!"

The result, the first 100+ pages stretch out what could economically be told in about 35. Then the pace picks up only enough to get our protagonist on her adventure, instill some uncertainty and suspense, and leave us waiting for the sequel to receive any kind of resolution.

Plot inconsistencies abound and the grandfather's characterization oscillates from him being a loving, doting old man to a selfish, secretive, manipulative villain. Sadly, I don't think this was exactly the author's intent.

I do want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for a review.