Book Summary and Reviews of Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

by Karen Foxlee

  • Critics' Consensus (2):
  • Published:
  • Jan 2014, 224 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn't believe in anything that can't be proven by science. She and her sister Alice are still grieving for their dead mother when their father takes a job in a strange museum in a city where it always snows. On her very first day in the museum Ophelia discovers a boy locked away in a long forgotten room.  He is a prisoner of Her Majesty the Snow Queen.  And he has been waiting for Ophelia's help.

As Ophelia embarks on an incredible journey to rescue the boy everything that she believes will be tested.  Along the way she learns more and more about the boy's own remarkable journey to reach her and save the world.

A story within a story, this a modern day fairytale is about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. A well-wrought, poignant and original reworking of Andersen's The Snow Queen. Fantasy. 8-12." - Kirkus

"Starred Review. Certain elements, such as the identity of the Snow Queen, aren't really surprises, but it's in Foxlee's evocation of the museum's unsettling dangers, as well as Ophelia's eventual willingness to reconcile what she knows in her mind with what she feels in her heart, that this story shines." - Publishers Weekly

"Starred Review. This clever story-within-a-story reads easily yet offers deep lessons about trust, responsibility, and friendship." - Booklist

"Foxlee's deftness with characterization and setting...makes this a satisfying fantasy." - Horn Book

This information about Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

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Author Information

Karen Foxlee

Karen Foxlee is the author of two young adult novels, The Anatomy of Wings and The Midnight Dress. She lives in Gympie, Australia, with her daughter.

Yoko Tanaka (illustrator) has illustrated children's books by Kate DiCamillo, Sara Pennypacker, R.L. LaFevers, Laura Godwin, and Keith McGowan.

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