This book is a “Best of the Best” pick from our Winter Book Fair. CLICK HERE to see more gift ideas!
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee. Knopf, 2014. 240 pages.
- Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12.
- Recommended for: ages 8-12
One Line Summary: Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s “Snow Queen,” Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is more than simply a Snow Queen story for middle grade readers; it is broader and more complex than popular versions such as Frozen.
Ophelia, her sister, and her newly widowed father find themselves in a frosty northern city right before Christmas. Ophelia’s father is an international sword expert and has been summoned by an imperious woman to help with her upcoming sword exhibit, scheduled to be unveiled soon in her old museum. The girls accompanied him in order to spend Christmas with him, but they must stay out of his way while he’s working.
As Ophelia explores the museum, she discovers the Marvelous Boy and her own adventure begins in earnest. Ophelia herself is a child of today, but the Marvelous Boy she discovers has been hidden away by the Snow Queen for approximately 300 years. Telling too much more will unveil the plot, and that is part of the charm of this book. Foxlee plots the book tightly and, even when readers begin to recognize the ending that’s coming, the journey is still a great trip.
For those who enjoy fantasy that is more like an Arthurian tale with a famous sword, a magical person or two, and a rich history, this will be a great read. Ophelia is a refreshingly honest character; she is quite ordinary, quite stubborn, and immensely curious. Her reticence to even be a heroine is endearing. Good triumphs resoundingly over evil, and all is well just in the nick of time. While the Snow Queen remains a villain, the Marvelous Boy points to the same self-sacrifice we see in Frozen. This time, the self-sacrifice doesn’t thaw a frosty heart; it saves the world. Both Frozen and Ophelia are great reminders of The Story in which Christ’s self-sacrifice thaws frosty hearts and saves the world.
Cautions: Supernatural (“magic” as commonly portrayed in classic fantasy)
Overall Value: 4.25 (out of 5)
- Moral/worldview value: 4
- Artistic value: 4.5
Categories: Middle Grades, Fantasy
For more on Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy and Karen Foxlee, see the publisher’s website. For more on fairy tales here on RedeemedReader, see the reviews of three new/original fairy tales, Megan’s introduction to The Light Princess during a past summer reading adventure, or muse with us on fairyland in general!
Cover image from goodreads.
A free copy of this book was received via netgalley for a fair review.
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Thanks for the review, Betsy! I look forward to reading this when I have some free time 🙂
I read this book based on your recommendation. I enjoyed it overall, and I like your summary. Maybe I’m way off, but I thought the book had a few underlying ideas that are worth discussing. Here’s what I noticed:
Subtle underlying themes: Ophelia’s worldview is rooted in “science” and scientific method being the primary way she interprets the world and how she makes choices She mentions near the beginning of the book that she subscribes to the Big Bang theory.
As the book develops, she learns to “follow her heart / feelings” as also being equally valid/important methods for interpreting the world and making choices.
My analysis: “follow your heart” or “trust your feelings” –neither is Biblical. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ” Jeremiah 17:9 “Science” and “scientific method” as the primary means for understanding the world–also problematic. God and His world are not limited to what the human mind can scientifically understand or prove. ” For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts”. Isaiah 55:8&9.
Am I way off base, or did anyone else notice these underlying worldviews premises? I think, based on the age range of the intended audience, this is worth mentioning, since these worldview premises are so common in our world today.
Thanks for bringing those to our attention (and our readers’ attention), Clarice. We love to see our readers reading with discernment! It’s been a long time since I read this book, so I don’t remember the book well enough to comment very specifically. It’s true that science is often a substitute in modern fiction for God and His world, but this is also a fairy tale retelling set in a modernistic setting (science is very much a part of Ophelia’s world), so science will undoubtedly factor into this fantasy world’s construction.
What is this free time you speak of, Hayley? I haven’t seen any in ages 😉
Thank you for the recommendation! This book was among the books we gave our 9 yo daughter for Christmas. Rating it on a scale of 1-10, she said, “If I could rate it an “11,” I would! 🙂
[…] the world. This is as true for classics like Cinderella and Othello as it is for newer titles like Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy or You Bring the Distant Near. All in all, we love Jesus and we love books. We could talk all day […]