Twelve-year-old Adam is whisked away from his imperfect but quiet life with the arrival of a stranger and a magical promise in this time travel mystery. 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? In her debut novel G. Z. Schmidt has crafted a world filled with serendipity, mystery, and adventure for readers of Roald Dahl and Lemony Snicket. Gr 4-7-Twelve-year-old Chinese American Adam Lee Tripp lives in 1999 New York City with his Uncle Henry, who owns Biscuit Basket Bakery. A loner, Adam connects with the past when a chance visitor, J.C. Walsh, gives him a prophetic message about attics and adventures. In the attic, Adam finds his late parents' snow globe that time travels. By time traveling, Adam learns that three artifacts control time: Past, present, and future. As he meets people connected to a candle factory fire, Adam yearns to use time travel to unravel tragedy, perhaps even bring back his parents. Schmidt uses a third-person direct address style. As she tells Adam's story, she provides hints and sentiments that provide a warm, comforting backdrop, as do her narrative metaphors and sensory details of the bakery. Adam is sympathetic, both because of his lonely childhood and his empathy for everyone he meets. The people Adam encounters and those connected with the three artifacts are all intriguing, and a greedy time thief adds a dangerous element to the last few chapters. While Schmidt makes connections between everyone Adam meets and his future, there's a curious, incomplete feeling to the story. Adam sees and learns many things, but he is an observer to much of the action, and the story lacks forward propulsion. VERDICT Elegant writing and an imaginative conceit may compensate for a passive story. Purchase where Kathryn Littlewood's Bliss or Rebecca Stead's When You Reach Me are popular.-Caitlin Augusta, Stratford Lib. Assoc., CTα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. "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     "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   "The people Adam encounters and those connected with the three artifacts are all intriguing, and a greedy time thief adds a dangerous element to the last few chapters. . . . Elegant writing and an imaginative conceit." — School Library Journal "[will] leave readers thoughtfully making connections and drawing conclusions." — Booklist "A magical New York journey through time and the grieving process." — Kirkus Reviews G. Z. Schmidt was born in China and immigrated to the United States when she was six. She grew up in the Midwest and the South where she chased fireflies, listened for tornado warnings, and pursued a love of reading. In the third grade, she began writing stories in a spiral-bound notebook, and never looked back. She is the author of No Ordinary Thing and The Dreamweavers, which was named a New York Public Library Best Book of the Year and a CCBC Choice book. She currently lives in California with her husband and their tuxedo cat.