(2014) Knopf / Hot key books

Summary:

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.

Awards:

  • 2014 Indies Choice, E.B. White Read-Aloud Awards Finalist

  • Wall Street Journal “Best Children’s Books of 2014” list

  • School Library Journal “Best Books of 2014” list

  • Publishers Weekly “Best Books of 2014” list

  • Amazon “Best of the Year 2014” list

  • Kirkus Reviews starred review, November 1, 2013

  • Publishers Weekly starred review, November 13, 2013

  • Booklist starred review, December 15, 2013

  • The Bulletin starred review, February 2014

  • School Library Journal starred review, March 2014

Reviews:

“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

“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 Bulletin, Starred

“Reads easily yet offers deep lessons about trust, responsibility, and friendship.” 
—Booklist, Starred

“This story shines.” 
—Publishers Weekly, Starred

“Well-wrought, poignant and original.” 
—Kirkus Reviews, Starred