ARC Review: Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy | A Cute Retelling

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
Published by Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format Reviewed: eARC
Publication Date: January 28th, 2014
Genre: Adventure
Pages: 240
Reviewed by: Stephanie
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
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A modern-day fairy tale set in a mysterious museum that is perfect for readers of Roald Dahl and Blue Balliett.

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.

I received this ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or offered to influence or change this review.

Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy was a cute middle grade novel that I'm sure will be enjoyed by many young readers.

At its heart, this is the short tale of a sad, lonely girl coming to realize that she is brave. Ophelia has just lost her mother and this has caused a blanket of silence to fall across her and what's left of her family. When her father takes her on a business trip to a museum, her curiosity gets the better of her and she freely roams the building. It doesn't take her long to find the Marvelous Boy, who has been consequently imprisoned there for many years.

I think Ophelia reflects the attitude of many children; they sometimes believe that what they do doesn't matter, that they can't make a difference. Ophelia believes she is too small to help the Marvelous Boy and, besides, *insert my disbelief* she has asthma so of course she can't help him. She's quite the skeptic but the Marvelous Boy balances her character very well.

The Marvelous Boy has been taught that you should always help someone and that, if you do, things will always work out in the end. There's good in everyone and you should always be kind. He teaches Ophelia to believe in herself. And this point of always being kind to others is actually brought right to the end when Ophelia is face-to-face with a character she has pegged as being very mean and is proved wrong.

The messages in Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy were truly wonderful. The overall pacing was great. Foxlee didn't linger in any one place for too long and kept the story moving forward rather quickly without it feeling rushed. Overall, if I were an eight, nine, or ten year old, I think I would have immensely enjoyed this novel.

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