It's June 1925 and Emily Stewart has just turned 13 years old. Emily has a secret "trick" she can do with her ankle. When she moves it just the right way, she produces a knocking sound. Everyone can hear this sound but no one can see her doing it. This is the trick that causes Emily and her twin brother, Michael, to come up with the game of Spirit Knocking.

Living in the huge old mansion of Ravenwood with only their mother and servant, Mary, they need to make their own entertainment most of the time. Their father died in the war when they were only 6 years old and their mother had chosen to remain isolated rather than re-marry and continue to open up her home for the lavish parties that used to be held there years ago. It is just this sort of environment that breeds the idea of making a game of Spirit Knocking.

Emily and Michael start to get the word around, quietly, that Emily can communicate with the ghost of their dead relative, Regina, who died mysteriously when she was just 16 years old. The knocking sounds that Emily can produce with her ankle are turned into a Yes or NO answer for the questions asked by the children that attend the "sessions." They ask questions of Regina through Emily, who then answers them with her mysterious knocking sound.

It was only a matter of time before the activities of the twins spread to some of the adults in town. They're invited to the home of a friend's grandmother, who has assembled four of her lady friends for an afternoon of Spirit Knocking. These ladies believe in what they think Emily can do, which is to communicate with the dead. Their immediate and unconditional acceptance offers Emily a feeling like none she has ever known. So she and Michael continue to visit the ladies whenever they ask.

With all of the secrets buried in Emily's own family, she becomes interested in the secrets revealed by their "performances." The more she discovers, the more she starts to wonder if she should put a halt to the Spirit Knocking game.

Take some time to get caught up in the slow and easy time of 1925. It's summer and there is fun to be had and mysteries to be solved. THE GIRL WHO WOULD SPEAK FOR THE DEAD is one to lose yourself in. Don't expect to be able to put it down until you've reached the last page and had all of your questions answered.