Will it be Snowing Forever?

Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard loves science and explanations. She’s a very matter of fact kind of girl, and she’s still feeling sad after the death of her mother. When her father gets a job working on a special exhibition at a museum in a city where it always snows, she and her sister, Alice, get to go along. There the girls meet the beautiful and elegant museum curator. She allows them to roam around the museum and find what interests them most. It's during that time that Ophelia sees a boy dressed in very old fashioned clothes trapped behind a door in an isolated corridor. He tells her he needs some help and asks her to find the key to his door. It seems he’s been trapped in the cold museum for hundreds of years. He tells her he has no name anymore (to protect him from the Snow Queen), so now he is simply called the Marvelous Boy. The Marvelous Boy explains that he was sent far from his home long, long ago because the wizards thought he was destined to destroy the Snow Queen. But how can he do that if the time on the clock is winding down and he can’t even get out of the room. He explains when the clock finishes winding down the Snow Queen will take revenge on the Earth. Trying to help him, Ophelia is sent on a scavenger hunt around the museum trying to find special keys, a sword to kill the Snow Queen, and the “one other” who is supposed to help the Marvelous Boy complete his quest. Will Ophelia be able to complete the tasks before the clock finishes counting down? Will the marvelous boy complete his quest? You’ll have to read this book to see how this Snow Queen spinoff plays out.

I have had Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee on my reading list since I first read about it on a blog many years ago (so long ago I can’t quite remember which one). The story started out a little slowly, but the more I read the faster the pace seemed. With each page I cared more and more about Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy. I was really rooting for him to complete his task and be saved. I also wanted Ophelia to figure out how to get everything on her scavenger hunt. This book has just the right amount of scary magic and characters that will tug at your heart. I would recommend this book to people that like fairy tales, fairy tale retellings, magical realism, and stories with quests. It would be a great book for someone who is in fourth or fifth grade. With all the snow and cold in the story it's the perfect book to curl up with on the couch and enjoy a nice cup of hot chocolate. This is the first book I have read by this author, but I will definitely be reading more by Karen Foxlee! 

Has anyone else read Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy? Or have you read another book by Karen Foxlee? We’d love to hear your thoughts!

Happy reading!
~L