What do you think of when you hear the title The Ice Cream Machine? This book shows the magic of words through the telling of six short stories all titled The Ice Cream Machine. First, we learn about a boy Shiro Hanayama and his robot-nanny and their adventure exploring many types of ice cream such as gelato and kulfi! The next story is about a girl named Penelope Perez and her little sister Pam, who want to compete in an ice cream eating competition, but can they beat the "Ice Cream Machine" that wins the contest every year? Rhonda Helmie is the main character of the next story, and she is a genius inventor. After learning that her mother who passed away used to make the most delicious ice cream, Rhonda knows she must learn how.  But will she ever be able to learn to make the ice cream as well as her mother did? Next, we have the story of Cromulous Blotch, an evil ice cream truck driver who terrorizes all the kids around. The 5th story is about a boy named Martin, who is the assistant of Socor the Sorcerer and is pushed into the position of Sorcerer when Socor unexpectedly leaves. Will he be able to master all his tricks, especially the magical ice cream making pot before the Harvest Festival and the birthday of the king? Lastly, we have the story of Phillip T. Washington, the only human subject in an alien space lab who desperately misses his home on earth. Phillip also misses ice cream, and he finds a mysterious machine that can make him as much ice cream as he wants! Together, The Ice Cream Machine tells the stories of six fascinating characters through individual short stories.