Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy

by Karen Foxlee Narrated by Jayne Entwistle

Overview

“Magic is “messy and dangerous and filled with longing,” we learn in this brave tale of grief, villainy and redemption that borrows from the story of the Snow Queen. Set in a vast, chilly museum, the tale brings together a valiant girl, a charmed boy, a magical sword and a clock ticking down to the end of the world.”-The Wall Street Journal

This is the story of unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard who 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*about the power of friendship, courage and love, and never ever giving up.

Editorial Reviews

The New York Times Book Review - Elizabeth Spires

It happens all the time in children's literature: Beloved parents die, and their sons and daughters have to come to terms with their loss. In Karen Foxlee's Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy, this premise is explored in an original and fantastical manner, as Foxlee…deftly borrows and transforms elements from Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen…Everyone loves a villainess…and young readers will relish the depiction of a modern-day snow queen in the guise of the beautiful, evil Miss Kaminski. But their allegiance will be with Ophelia, a plucky heroine who changes from a hardheaded rationalist who believes only in facts to a girl who learns to trust her emotional, imaginative side.

Publishers Weekly - Audio

02/24/2014
In Foxlee’s take on “The Snow Queen,” 11-year-old Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard, who is still grieving her mother’s death, travels to an unnamed snowy city where her father has taken a job at a strange museum. There, Ophelia meets a boy in a locked room. The Marvelous Boy has been a prisoner of the Snow Queen for years, and he asks Ophelia to help him save the world. Narrator Entwistle shines in this entertaining audio edition. With an accented voice, steady pacing, and a crisp delivery, Entwistle ably captures the magic and fun of Foxlee’s tale. The voices Entwistle lends Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy are spot-on, while she also produces a host of distinct and appropriate voices for the book’s other characters. Ages 8-12. A Knopf hardcover. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 11/11/2013
In this appropriately frosty take on The Snow Queen, Foxlee (The Midnight Dress) introduces 11-year-old Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard, who’s asthmatic, pragmatic, curious, and braver than she realizes. Ophelia’s family, shattered after her mother’s death, is visiting an unnamed snowy city so her father can curate an exhibition of swords. Exploring the strange, icy, and nearly empty museum, Ophelia discovers the long-imprisoned Marvelous Boy, who recruits her to help him save the world from the Snow Queen; she also turns up a cluster of deadly “misery birds” and a roomful of the ghosts of numerous girls. Foxlee’s writing is elegant and accessible, with a pervading melancholy; this is as much a story of loss as it is an adventure. 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. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Catherine Drayton, Inkwell Management. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Jan.)

From the Publisher

The Wall Street Journal, January 25, 2014:
“A present-day fairy tale that practically sparkles with its own icy menace...[a] memorable and ultimately moving novel for young readers.”

The Christian Science Monitor, January 31, 2014:
"Foxlee's novel will be read and loved by youngsters who've grown up on fairy tales, graduated to Harry Potter, and appreciate gorgeous writing and complex storytelling. In this story of friendship and yes, even bravery, Ophelia shines as one of the first true heroines of the 2014 crop of fabulous middle-grade novels."

Starred Review, Kirkus, November 1, 2013:
"A well-wrought, poignant and original reworking of Andersen’s 'The Snow Queen.'"

Starred Review, Publishers Weekly, November 11, 2013:
"Foxlee's writing is elegant and accessible, with a pervading melancholy... this story shines."

Starred Review, Booklist, December 15, 2013:
"This clever story-within-a-story reads easily yet offers deep lessons about trust, responsibility, and friendship.”

Starred Review, The Bulletin, February 1, 2014:
"Foxlee inventively weaves familiar folkloric elements—an evil snow queen, a magic sword, a quest, a chosen one—into her modern setting, all the while evoking a mood of dreamlike foreboding."

Starred Review, School Library Journal, March 1, 2014:
“The writing sparkles . . . Foxlee’s fresh and imaginative take on this classic tale will be snapped up by fantasy and adventure lovers alike.”

The Horn Book, January/February 2014:
"Foxlee’s deftness with characterization and setting...makes this a satisfying fantasy."

School Library Journal

★ 03/01/2014
Gr 4–6—This inventive and engaging fantasy, based on the story of the Snow Queen, will be a welcome addition to middle grade collections. Solidly scientific-minded Ophelia, whose mother has recently died, moves with her older sister and father to a snowy and wintry city, where her father is busy working on a museum exhibition of historical swords. Wandering through the museum, Ophelia discovers a boy who has been locked in a room for years, and who needs her help. Much to her own surprise Ophelia takes greater and greater risks in order to win his freedom, and, in the process, forges a strong connection with the memory and spirit of her mother. It is Ophelia's sister who plays the role of Kay, bewitched by the gifts given to her by the evil Miss Kaminski, the head of the museum. Foxlee's characters come alive immediately. While Ophelia is contemporary in her ordinariness, her courage and determination to save the people she cares about harkens back to archetypal fairy tale heroes and heroines. Foxlee skillfully reveals the story of the boy as the plot unfolds. The setting is carefully and at times spookily drawn, as Ophelia faces terrifying dangers in deserted museum corridors. The writing sparkles and the pleasing restraint of the style is happily reflected in the short length of the book. Foxlee's fresh and imaginative take on this classic tale will be snapped up by fantasy and adventure lovers alike.—Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City

MARCH 2014 - AudioFile

Foxlee’s adaptation of the fairy tale “The Snow Queen” is set in a fanciful museum where Ophelia’s father, the curator, must create a large sword exhibit, supervised by the enigmatic director, Miss Kaminsky. Jayne Entwistle’s graceful narration alternates effortlessly between Ophelia’s quiet reluctance to abandon her passion for science and her father’s absentminded responses to her endless questions. Meanwhile, Ophelia inspects whole rooms dedicated to everything from teaspoons to dinosaurs. One day, she discovers a boy locked up in a secret room who needs her help to save the world from the evil Snow Queen. While the boy’s voice invokes hope and promise, the frosty undertones of the unctuous Miss Kaminsky send chills up the spine. This delightful story is made more so by Entwistle’s convincing performance. M.F.T. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2013-10-20
Eleven-year-old Ophelia faces her fears to help a nameless boy imprisoned in a surreal museum by the evil Snow Queen in this contemporary fairy tale. An asthmatic girl who believes in science and eschews fantasy, Ophelia's curious but admittedly not very brave. Grieving her mother's recent death, Ophelia arrives in a snowy "foreign city" with her father and sister. While her curator father organizes an exhibition of swords, Ophelia wanders the vast museum until she discovers "The Marvelous Boy," trapped by the Snow Queen for three centuries in a hidden room. A spell preventing the Snow Queen from killing the boy expires in three days, when he will die and the world will freeze unless Ophelia can free him, locate his magical sword and identify the "One Other" to defeat the Snow Queen. Though she's unsure she believes the boy's fantastical story, Ophelia gradually heeds an inner voice urging her to follow her heart. Alternating between Ophelia's bizarre quest to save the boy and the retelling of his story, the intense plot moves Ophelia beyond grief to fulfill what she realizes is her destiny. Armed with her inhaler, practical Ophelia proves a formidable heroine in a frozen landscape. A well-wrought, poignant and original reworking of Andersen's "The Snow Queen." (Fantasy. 8-12)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940171873400
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	01/28/2014
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

In which Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard discovers a boy in a locked room and is consequently asked to save the world

Ophelia did not consider herself brave. She wasn't like Lucy Coutts, the head girl in her grade, who once rescued a baby in a runaway stroller and was on the front page of all the papers. Lucy Coutts had heavy brown hair and pink cheeks, and she called Ophelia Scrap, which made everyone laugh, even Ophelia, to show she didn't mind.

Ophelia didn't consider herself brave, but she was very curious.

She was exactly the kind of girl who couldn't walk past a golden keyhole without looking inside.

The keyhole was in a foreign city where it always snowed. It was on the third floor of the museum, in the 303rd room. Ophelia wasn't at all sure how she got there, only that she let her feet take her wherever they wanted to go.

Her father had taken a job at the museum. He had become, at the eleventh hour, the curator of Battle: The Greatest Exhibition of Swords in the History of the World. The previous curator had left without warning. In three days, Ophelia's father was to prepare hundreds of swords to be exhibited on Christmas Eve.

He also hoped that a week in a foreign city would be just the medicine for his daughters. They could explore and ice-skate while he worked. And they would have a white Christmas away from their home, which had grown so quiet.

He was very busy, though, far too busy to spend much time with them. He told Ophelia she must stay close to her older sister, Alice. But Alice was not interested in seeing any of the attractions. She wanted to go nowhere and do nothing. She wanted to sit all day with her headphones, playing gloomy music and thinking gloomy thoughts. She'd been like that ever since their mother died, which was exactly three months, seven days, and nine hours ago.

"I'll take you ice-skating later," Alice said, but in a very halfhearted way.

So, all morning Ophelia had walked alone. She had been upstairs and down. She had climbed in and out of elevators that rattled and creaked between the floors. There were grand galleries filled with priceless treasures and glittering halls filled with dazzling relics. There were precious paintings by the old masters and glorious statues and huge urns, and the ceilings danced with painted angels. Ophelia tried, as hard as she could, to be interested in all these things.

She leaned her head to one side and nodded approvingly.

She looked up interesting facts in the rather useless guide.

She tried to stifle all her yawns.

But fortunately, these glimmering places also led to murky corridors. And these murky corridors also led to dimly lit rooms. And these rooms contained smaller, stranger collections. And it was these places that made Ophelia's heart beat faster.

She found a lonely room filled with teaspoons.

Which led to a room containing only telephones.

Which led to a shadowy arcade of mirrors.

She passed through an exhibition of stuffed and preserved elephants. She tiptoed through a quiet pavilion filled with the threadbare taxidermied bodies of wolves. She squeezed through the crowd in the Gallery of Time and saw the famous Wintertide Clock. It ticked so loudly that people had to stick their fingers in their ears. She ran down a long, dim hallway filled with melancholy paintings of girls.

It was very cold. Windows were left open to stinging sparks of sleet and snow. The wind whistled and moaned through the galleries and down the stairwells. It made the cobwebs on the chandeliers dance.

Even with a map it was a very confusing place. Signs pointed in the wrong directions, and no one bothered about fixing them. The sign for Porcelains 1700-1850 AD led to Costumes and Culture of the Renaissance. The sign for Costumes and Culture of the Renaissance led to Bronze Age Artifacts. The sign for Bronze Age Artifacts led to an imposing red, locked door.

There was no point in asking the guards. The guards sat in corners and knitted or dozed. Sometimes, they snarled and yelled like banshees for no good reason, and other times, they let children climb on the glass cabinets, using the brass handles for footholds. Sometimes, they came rushing at people who just happened to stand too long in one place, and other times, they smiled huge toothless smiles and offered old fruit from their large black handbags.

The museum in the city where it always snowed was the type of place where a person could very easily get lost. Miss Kaminski, the museum curator, had said so herself. Miss Kaminski was dazzlingly beautiful. Her blond hair was tied in an elegant chignon, and she was surrounded by a cloud of heavenly perfume. She had smiled at Ophelia and Alice before placing a perfectly manicured hand on their father's arm.

"It is advisable that they do not wander alone," Miss Kaminski said. "The museum is very big, and several girls have become lost and never been found."

But Ophelia didn't feel afraid. It was much better on her own. It was a relief to be out of the workroom, where her father had begun work as soon as they arrived in the city. He was unpacking swords and polishing swords and cataloging swords endlessly. Her father knew everything there was to know about swords. His card read:

MALCOLM WHITTARD

LEADING INTERNATIONAL EXPERT ON SWORDS

"I have a very tight deadline, Ophelia. Christmas Eve!" he said whenever Ophelia tried to talk to him. "I'm sure there are more than enough things here to keep you and Alice occupied."

If ever you have the chance to visit this museum, the keyhole to room 303 is quite close to a much-celebrated sea monster mosaic floor. It is marked on the maps by an octopus symbol. That first morning, Ophelia spent some time walking on the mosaic waves and the mosaic foam. She traveled the length of all eight glittering tentacles, observed the people falling back from the monster's mouth. She bent over and looked directly into its eye.

It was the sort of thing her mother would have loved. Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard wished more than anything that her mother were alive.

Near the sea monster mosaic floor, she noticed a gallery with a red rope hung across its entrance. Ophelia slipped under the rope and went inside. It was a small exhibition of broken stone angels. There was no guard in the room, so she touched some wings, even though she knew she shouldn't have. It was very quiet and very still. All she could hear were her own footsteps and her own breathing. It had a peculiar, empty smell. No one had been that way for a very long time.

In the corner of the room there was a very normal-looking gray door. Above the door were the small silver numbers 302. Ophelia opened it.

The room behind the ordinary gray door was also almost normal. The floor was checkerboard. The tall windows, with tatty velvet curtains pulled back, gave a view of the city. The sky also was gray.

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