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Book Review

Publisher's Note:

It's 1999 and Adam doesn't mind living at his uncle's bakery, the Biscuit Basket, on the Lower East Side in New York City. The warm, delicious smells of freshly baked breads and chocolate croissants make every day feel cozy, even if Adam doesn't have many friends and misses his long dead parents very much. When a mysterious but cheerful customer shows Adam a snow globe and says that adventures await him, it's too strange to be true. But days later, an unbelievable, incredible thing happens. Adam finds a similar looking snow globe and immediately travels back in time, first to Times Square in 1935, then a candle factory fire in 1967. But how are these moments related? What do they have to do with his parents' death? And why is a tall man with long eyebrows and a thin mustache following Adam's every move?…

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No Ordinary Thing : The Tale of the Traveling Snow Globe

by G. Z. Schmidt

Reviewer: Cindy M
Genre: Fantasy

Overall Book Review:

No Ordinary Thing can’t possibly be the debut novel of G.Z. Schmidt, but it appears as though it is. She entrances us with this intricately woven tale. Schmidt created excellent characters and built a plot full of unexpected turns. The story can seem complicated, but it is all quite simple when one keeps the details straight. Pay close attention to the locations and character names as things can get a bit muddled if you’re not on your toes. Details aren’t amiss as we magically weave in and out of different times and places, never sure where or when the next destination will be. After giving us these excellent elements, Schmidt takes the story full-circle in a perfectly crafted resolution. Leaning a bit on the dark side, this has the same vibe as The Unadoptables. Readers who enjoy embarking on a time-traveling journey must do so with No Ordinary Thing.

Review of Digital Advance Reading Copy received from the Publisher

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore: Many (36) brief incidents including character could be killed or hurt; reference to eventually dying; verbal threats; ref to character losing leg from getting into a fight with an animal; character becoming ill with smallpox; reference to character falling and breaking leg; reference to murder; second-hand report of character dying from polio; references to murder; many references and death, including parents of young children; second-hand report of an adult getting smacked by another adult and getting a bruise; reference to a factory burning down and killing workers; reference to war; reference to bribery and theft; second-hand report of a car accident; second-hand report of workers in a candle factory getting sleeves caught on fire; reference to serpent striking; reference to ghosts, dragons or monsters swallowing people; second-hand report of child burning hand on boiling water; adults throw tomatoes at a teenager; adult pulls a child’s hair; adult gets kicked by children; adult breaking into a shop, causing damage. One incident of an adult breaking into a house and attacking an adult and child.

Sex/Nudity:  None

Mature Subject Matter:

Homelessness; theft (children and adults); bullying; insanity; hypnotism; orphans; character going to jail for disorderly conduct; two incidents of rude bodily functions.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Adults drink wine and smoke cigars.

Overall Book Rating
Profanity/Language
Rating:
0
10
Violence/Gore
Rating:
3
10
Sex/Nudity
Rating:
0
10

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About the Reviewer

Cindy M
An accountant and CPA by profession, I found myself a book reviewer for Squeaky Clean Reads by happenstance. When the opportunity came to transform that website into Compass Book Ratings, I was excited to seize it and meld my business background with my love of books. As the mother of three teenage sons, I have read a large number of children and young adult books and I believe that there is great value in a content review service. As much as we would love to read everything our children read, there just isn’t enough time. I also appreciate being able to select books for myself that are really worth my precious and limited reading time. I believe there is a book out there for everyone–they just have to find it!

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