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brendalovesbooks's review
3.0
A few days ago I read the third book in the Fairyland series (one of my all-time favorites) by Catherynne Valente. With that so fresh in my mind, this felt like Fairyland lite. The writing just wasn't anywhere near as good.
I wanted to like it more than I did. I know this is a children's book. They are not always as fleshed out as adult fantasy. But I just felt like it had potential to be more than it was. I wanted to care a little more than I did.
It was still a pretty fun read. Young girls will probably like finding a heroine like Ophelia they can look up to. She did the hard things that needed to be done, even when she was scared. And she helped the Marvelous Boy, even though she didn't have to.
I wanted to like it more than I did. I know this is a children's book. They are not always as fleshed out as adult fantasy. But I just felt like it had potential to be more than it was. I wanted to care a little more than I did.
It was still a pretty fun read. Young girls will probably like finding a heroine like Ophelia they can look up to. She did the hard things that needed to be done, even when she was scared. And she helped the Marvelous Boy, even though she didn't have to.
rjdenney's review
2.0
The first 50 pages of this was really good but then it just went downhill and became incredibly boring. I really thought I was going to love this one. Oh well lol I'd still recommend it if you're looking for a quick winter middle-grade read. :)
thestoryowl's review
5.0
Read this on NetGalley, and I absolutely loved it. At first, I wondered if I had missed the first pages, since you are dropped right into the fairytale. I loved Ophelia's timid spunk and the way everything came together.
aussiebroadwayfan's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
franuary's review
3.0
Ophelia Worthingon-Whittard is a serious and skeptical young girl. Unlike her whimsical, recently-passed mother, Ophelia only believes in things that can be proven. Yet when Ophelia’s father takes a job in an odd museum in a snow-laden city, she finds herself thrust into the path of the Marvelous Boy and embarks on a search that science can’t explain.
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a magical tale that would appeal to Blue Balliett readers as well as to J.K. Rowling’s younger fans. Ophelia is very precocious, yet her adventures are accessible, and the Marvelous Boy’s story adds an old-world, fantasy element to this modern retelling of the classic fairytale The Snow Queen. Recommended for older elementary school children who like their fantasy firmly rooted in the real world.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Random House Children’s and to NetGalley for the advance copy!
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a magical tale that would appeal to Blue Balliett readers as well as to J.K. Rowling’s younger fans. Ophelia is very precocious, yet her adventures are accessible, and the Marvelous Boy’s story adds an old-world, fantasy element to this modern retelling of the classic fairytale The Snow Queen. Recommended for older elementary school children who like their fantasy firmly rooted in the real world.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Random House Children’s and to NetGalley for the advance copy!
alboyer6's review
3.0
A fun story. The publisher touts it as "A modern-day fairy tale set in a mysterious museum that is perfect for readers of Roald Dahl and Blue Balliett." And that statement does describe it fairly well. I would probably throw in "The Night at the Museum" into that description too. I think my favorite part of the story is how the characters just ring true. Ophelia (and the rest of her family really,) is grieving for her mother, her teenage sister wants nothing to do with her, her father is drowning himself in his work so she goes and explores the museum and finds a fantastical adventure to save the world. It is a fun adventure that nicely stands alone.
ARC courtesy of publisher and Netgalley.
ARC courtesy of publisher and Netgalley.
lisawreading's review
4.0
In this magical story for young independent readers, Ophelia and her sister Alice have accompanied their father to a strange, wintry city where he's been hired last-minute to curate a sword exhibition at a museum. The girls' mother has died just months before, and it's clear that the girls and their father have all been somewhat lost since then.
When Ophelia wanders off to explore the museum, she finds a boy locked in a hidden room, who tells her a tale of a magical mission involving a lost sword, the Winter Queen, herald trees, and a protectorate of wizards. Ophelia is a scientific and logical girl, and can't bring herself to believe the boy's story. But her innate compassion, bolstered by her imaginings of her mother's voice in her ear, bring her to dedicate herself to helping the boy.
Ophelia isn't a typical heroine. She wears glasses that are always smudgy, and has to stop for quick puffs from her asthma inhaler whenever things get too exciting. Still, she has a big heart and avid curiosity, and so she keeps pushing herself to explore, to collect the clues hidden throughout the museum, and to find a way around the beautiful but menacing museum director.
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a fantasy adventure set in the modern world, with magic embedded in a city full of people going about their business and not prone toward belief in evil queens or sinister spells. There are some wonderful touches: a portrait gallery of glum-looking girls sets an ominous tone, galleries of everything you could imagine which seem to change every time Ophelia passes by, museum guards who sit and knit all day until falling asleep, and an older sister who gives up her jeans and t-shirts for a mysterious beauty treatment.
I'm not sure that the climax and resolution of the book necessarily make sense, but it doesn't really matter. Ophelia is a lovely main character, showing unexpected strength as she pushes herself beyond her normal limits. As Ophelia and her family finally face the danger in the museum, they also finally come to terms with the loss that they've suffered and take the first tentative steps toward healing and finding a way forward without their mother.
There are some wonderful magical scenes, as well as moments of danger and excitement. This book should please middle grade readers who like action mixed with fantasy. The reading level seems appropriate for older elementary school grades, easily accessible for children confident in their independent reading abilities.
When Ophelia wanders off to explore the museum, she finds a boy locked in a hidden room, who tells her a tale of a magical mission involving a lost sword, the Winter Queen, herald trees, and a protectorate of wizards. Ophelia is a scientific and logical girl, and can't bring herself to believe the boy's story. But her innate compassion, bolstered by her imaginings of her mother's voice in her ear, bring her to dedicate herself to helping the boy.
Ophelia isn't a typical heroine. She wears glasses that are always smudgy, and has to stop for quick puffs from her asthma inhaler whenever things get too exciting. Still, she has a big heart and avid curiosity, and so she keeps pushing herself to explore, to collect the clues hidden throughout the museum, and to find a way around the beautiful but menacing museum director.
Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a fantasy adventure set in the modern world, with magic embedded in a city full of people going about their business and not prone toward belief in evil queens or sinister spells. There are some wonderful touches: a portrait gallery of glum-looking girls sets an ominous tone, galleries of everything you could imagine which seem to change every time Ophelia passes by, museum guards who sit and knit all day until falling asleep, and an older sister who gives up her jeans and t-shirts for a mysterious beauty treatment.
I'm not sure that the climax and resolution of the book necessarily make sense, but it doesn't really matter. Ophelia is a lovely main character, showing unexpected strength as she pushes herself beyond her normal limits. As Ophelia and her family finally face the danger in the museum, they also finally come to terms with the loss that they've suffered and take the first tentative steps toward healing and finding a way forward without their mother.
There are some wonderful magical scenes, as well as moments of danger and excitement. This book should please middle grade readers who like action mixed with fantasy. The reading level seems appropriate for older elementary school grades, easily accessible for children confident in their independent reading abilities.
adelavmb's review
4.0
I read this book three months ago, and despite being in the middle of my college exam session, I couldn't quite put it down. So sitting now at my desk, writing this review, I wonder why I put it off until now, when the memory of this really pleasant read is starting to fade away.
Now let's get back to "Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy". This book started off (and continued right until the end of it) with this incredible, surreal atmosphere children's fantasy books usually have. Or at least, the good ones. It reminded me of past reading experiences like Roald Dahl's "Mathilda" or Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events", both deservedly famous in the children's book genre, which is saying quite a lot, isn't it?
Ophelia, her sister Alice and their father move into a strange town where it always snows. Being a sword expert, the latter's help is needed at the town's museum, where all the main narrative action takes place. Ophelia is fascinated with science and doesn't believe in the preternatural, and like most girls her age, is very curious. So she discovers right on her first day in the museum that a strange boy is being kept prisoner in a long forgotten room.
The book explores Ophelia's adventures in the museum, trying to free the boy, as well as the boy's fantastical quest in the past that led him to become captive. I found myself amused and sometimes a little bit irritated by the boy's attitude towards his duty. He keeps forgetting the important stuff and ends up doing what he was told not to under any circumstances. I couldn't believe someone could be so irresponsible. Olivia herself had trouble with accepting his story as real. But because of the fantasy elements in it.
The town's story also reminded me of a very well-known fairytale, Andersen's "The Snow Queen", a story I had cherished as a child.
But this book doesn't stop at telling us two fantastical adventures. No. It's more than that. It's a story about coming to terms with loss, grief, and accepting not everything in life can be explained. Furthermore, Ophelia made for quite an intriguing character, with her lack of belief in magic (despite her late mother's career in writing fantasy books) contrasting with her determination to go on the crazy adventure of saving the boy, a quest in which she deals with the preternatural numerous times until she can accept its existence. She is a strong character and a good role model for children, never giving up even though she has "bad asthma" and has to stop every once in a while to use her puffer.
All in all, "Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy" is a 3 in 1 adventure: Ophelia's, the boy's and yours while reading this book. Definitely recommended.
Now let's get back to "Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy". This book started off (and continued right until the end of it) with this incredible, surreal atmosphere children's fantasy books usually have. Or at least, the good ones. It reminded me of past reading experiences like Roald Dahl's "Mathilda" or Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events", both deservedly famous in the children's book genre, which is saying quite a lot, isn't it?
Ophelia, her sister Alice and their father move into a strange town where it always snows. Being a sword expert, the latter's help is needed at the town's museum, where all the main narrative action takes place. Ophelia is fascinated with science and doesn't believe in the preternatural, and like most girls her age, is very curious. So she discovers right on her first day in the museum that a strange boy is being kept prisoner in a long forgotten room.
The book explores Ophelia's adventures in the museum, trying to free the boy, as well as the boy's fantastical quest in the past that led him to become captive. I found myself amused and sometimes a little bit irritated by the boy's attitude towards his duty. He keeps forgetting the important stuff and ends up doing what he was told not to under any circumstances. I couldn't believe someone could be so irresponsible. Olivia herself had trouble with accepting his story as real. But because of the fantasy elements in it.
The town's story also reminded me of a very well-known fairytale, Andersen's "The Snow Queen", a story I had cherished as a child.
But this book doesn't stop at telling us two fantastical adventures. No. It's more than that. It's a story about coming to terms with loss, grief, and accepting not everything in life can be explained. Furthermore, Ophelia made for quite an intriguing character, with her lack of belief in magic (despite her late mother's career in writing fantasy books) contrasting with her determination to go on the crazy adventure of saving the boy, a quest in which she deals with the preternatural numerous times until she can accept its existence. She is a strong character and a good role model for children, never giving up even though she has "bad asthma" and has to stop every once in a while to use her puffer.
All in all, "Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy" is a 3 in 1 adventure: Ophelia's, the boy's and yours while reading this book. Definitely recommended.
cimorene1558's review
4.0
A charming Snow Queen story. I can't exactly say it's a retelling, it's more of an expansion, but either way, it's pretty good!