From Booklist
*Starred Review* Ophelia is a grieving 11-year-old who only believes in things that science can explain. Following her beloved mother’s death, her father takes a job at an enormous museum in a city where it constantly snows. There Ophelia discovers the imprisoned Marvelous Boy, who discloses to her that in three days the Snow Queen will discharge her wretchedness upon mankind. He further reveals that he must save the world before that happens and that only Ophelia can help him. As the boy tells his story, Ophelia accepts the challenges required to release him from his three-hundred-year captivity. She faces magical snow leopards, child ghosts, a Spanish conquistador, and a monstrous misery bird—none of which, like the boy, can be scientifically explained. Nevertheless, Ophelia learns there are truths she never dreamed of and that courage is less about bravery than about the decision to help people in need. Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, this clever story-within-a-story reads easily yet offers deep lessons about trust, responsibility, and friendship. Grades 4-6. --Jeanne Fredriksen
Review
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."
The Horn Book, January/February 2014:
"Foxlee’s deftness with characterization and setting...makes this a satisfying fantasy."
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