Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy

Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard doesn't consider herself very brave, and she doesn't believe in magic. But when she and her older sister Alice find themselves spending Christmas in a foreign city where it always snows, where their father has taken a job in a very peculiar museum, extraordinary things begin to happen to this reluctant young heroine.

On her first day exploring the enormous museum, Ophelia stumbles across something impossible: a strange boy, locked away in a forgotten room. He tells her that he has been there for hundreds of years, the prisoner of the terrible Snow Queen - and he is going to need Ophelia's help to escape and stop her bringing about the end of the world.

This wonderfully atmospheric adventure story is set in a fantastical museum full of strange magic: fearsome beasts, sorrowful ghosts, enchanted swords and of course the terrible Snow Queen herself. A contemporary spin on the original fairy-tale, it is also a subtle and powerful story about the importance of family and friendship, and coming to terms with loss. Beautifully presented, with evocative black-and-white illustrations by Yoko Tanaka,Ophelia and the Marvellous Boy is perfect for readers aged 8-12.