For ages 8+
Time traveling is no ordinary thing, but that’s what awaits 12-year-old Adam when he finds a snow globe that allows him to journey into the past. The snow globe whisks Adam from his home and introduces him to a succession of unusual characters along the way. Strangely, each individual seems to have a past that is interwoven with Adam’s own.
100 years ago in the streets of New York City, the famous magician and candlemaker extraordinaire Elbert the Excellent hopes to dazzle the world with his magic, but instead stumbles upon a mysterious entity known as “the time touch.”
As the two storylines unravel, they reveal a single thread that ties Adam and Elbert’s pasts together. At the center of their histories lies an abandoned candle factory, a factory that claimed multiple lives in a tragic fire years ago… one that Adam might be able to prevent.
★ Praise ★
“Elegant writing and an imaginative conceit.” – School Library Journal
“Schmidt’s complex, tightly constructed middle grade debut explores time travel and fantasies about altering the past for the better… Told in a confident narrative voice, the novel adroitly traces the characters’ and objects’ journeys and connections, encouraging close reading and keen speculation as the suspense builds to a most satisfying conclusion.” – Publishers Weekly
“Resolving mysteries and featuring glimpses into its hero’s future, No Ordinary Thing is no ordinary time travel story; it contains timeless lessons on friendship, bravery, and letting go.” – Foreword Reviews
Click here to read a sample of No Ordinary Thing.
Download the educator’s guide for No Ordinary Thing put together by Holiday House!
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Foreign editions: German
