The Magnificent Glass Globe
by N.R. Bergeson
Published: April 4th 2017
(273 pages)
Eleven-year-old Mary Tucker dreams of visiting the Amazon. But if her father, a museum curator, has his way, she might be a grandmother before she ever gets the chance.
One day, while mischievously exploring the museum’s warehouse with her brother Ike and best friend Helen, Mary stumbles across an old travel trunk belonging to her grandfather.
Inside, they discover an nondescript glass globe. Curious about the simple object, Mary touches the globe, and is shocked when the room is suddenly consumed by the most amazing view of Earth.
The magnificent globe lets the friends zoom closer and closer toward the earth’s surface, eventually bringing them close enough to touch the trees. That's when the globe entirely disappears, and they find themselves falling.
Suddenly, they're far from home, in place that's either a paradise, or the place where they will die.
Sleep, water, and food become precious and scarce. A native tribe may hold the keys to their survival as well as clues to help them get back home. But it won’t be easy. The rain forest is a big place, and when others find out what the globe can do, Mary, Ike and Helen will need a plan, allies, and a little luck.
The Magnificent Glass Globe is a delightful book about the magic of travel. Although the main character, Mary, travels instantly with a magic globe, the real magic lies in the people she meets, the animals she helps, and the beauty of the world around us. And that magic is available to us all.
I admired Mary’s ambition to see the remote parts of the world. She has a great imagination, but she’s growing up and wants to see the real world instead of just imagining it. I really liked Mary. She has a determination to get what she wants. Her love for animals reminded me of Steve Irwin. Or perhaps Hagrid. The respect and care she has is for all animals, especially the ones that would have me running and screaming in the opposite direction.
Mary finds a magic globe that takes her, her brother, and her friend on an adventure in the Amazon. Ironically, the first thing they want to do when they get there is go home. I actually really related to that. When I went to Europe a few years ago, it was such a long and tiring trip and everything was new that I had the same thought of going home right when we got there. Which seems crazy, right? But I thought it was very realistic. And like Mary and her friends, I got over my initial fear. These kids have to survive alone in the Amazon but instead of being terrifying, it was realistic and pretty funny.
I hope this book inspires kids to go see the world. I loved how real and vibrant the Amazon felt. I could tell the author had actually been to the actual locations in the book. When I looked up Puerto Narino, it looked just like I thought it would from reading about it in the book.
Puerto Narino (Image Source)
This adventure is also a heartfelt story about family. It’s funny and inspiring and I can’t wait for the next one.
We live in a wonderful world, and it’s just waiting for us to get out and see it.
-N. R. Bergeson
Book Review of The Magnificent Glass Globe on a Post-it
I post reviews like this on Instagram. Be sure to follow me there!
I received this book for review from the author, N. R. Bergeson, in exchange for an honest review. I was not told what to say, I was not paid to write this review and all the opinions expressed are my own. I read an Advanced Reading Copy for this review.
Blog Tour
I’m so excited to be a part of the blog tour for this awesome book! Be sure to check out the other stops on the tour!
4/3/2017– Rockin’ Book Reviews– Excerpt
4/4/2017– Books: A true story– Review
4/5/2017– Never Too Many To Read– Guest Post
4/6/2017– Month9Books– Excerpt
4/10/2017– Book Review Becca– Guest Post
4/11/2017– So Few Books– Interview
4/12/2017– LILbooklovers– Interview
4/13/2017– Don’t Judge, Read– Excerpt
Giveaway!
1 winner will receive a paperback of THE MAGNIFICENT GLASS GLOBE & A DVD of Jumanji, US Only. Enter in the Rafflecopter below.
About N.R. Bergeson
N. R. Bergeson is the author of the “Glass Globe” series of children’s novels, a U.S. Diplomat, and a passionate proponent of global education.
N. R. (Nils) Bergeson spent his childhood in beautiful Northern Utah, graduating from Utah State University, and later earned a Master’s degree the Monterey Institute of International Studies. He subsequently set off to see the world, and has since lived in Russia (as a missionary with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and later as a student), Romania (as a volunteer with the U.S. Peace Corps), Colombia, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, and soon Indonesia (all as a foreign service officer with the U.S. Agency for International Development). He has traveled to more than 60 countries with his wife, Emily, and their three young children.
Nils is enamored with the international world and plans to visit everywhere if he can. He hopes his writing will instill a desire in the rising generation to take advantage of modern opportunities to see the world, learn new languages, and expand their cultural experiences as far as they can.
My name is Jessica. I love to read Young Adult and classic literature. I’ve been a book blogger for six years and I haven’t gotten tired of it yet. I’m a very curious reader. Writing about all the questions and thoughts I had while reading a book is the best hobby ever.
Leave a Reply