Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is a partial re-telling of Anderson's "The Snow Queen", and with the success of Disney's Frozen, I thought it would be an amazing children's novel. Unfortunately, this novel just didn't click with me, but that isn't to say it won't click with its general audience. 
 There is really very little to set this novel apart from the dozens of other children's novels that have similar storylines. There is the girl who doesn't believe in magic, the mysterious boy from another magical land, and the fate of the world rests on making said girl believe. If she doesn't, the world will end. Change a few names, add a few quirky characteristics and you have Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy. 
 One of the major things that make a novel strong is the author's character building. While I understand a 230 page novel can't have extensive background on the characters, this novel just didn't feel like it promoted the characters. They came across as very one-dimensional and really they were just vessels to move the storyline along. 
 Karen Foxless tries really hard to make the characters - or at least the main character - have all these little quirks that make her stand out and seem not so normal. For example, Ophelia is asthmatic. She takes 'squirts of her puffer' to calm herself down, when she's scared, when she's running - pretty much any time. Unfortunately, the phrase 'squirts her puffer' is used repetitively throughout the novel, to the point it lost its quirkiness and just became frustrating. 
 Another thing that really took away from the novel was the sections 'the marvelous boy' used to tell his story. When I first read his little story from his POV, it seemed fun, exciting and adventurous. After the second or third time, it seemed as if his stories became less a story and more information dumping sections so the reader could understand things. 
 The change in 'the marvelous boy's' story telling was a bit of a disappointment. I feel it was a missed opportunity to really change the story and make it shine and/or develop one of the main characters in the novel. Unfortunately, it did neither. 
 While there was a lot that didn't live up to expectations, there is one unique and 'fun' thing about Ophelia and The Marvelous Boy. It was the way it ended. I'm not really sure how I feel about the ending of the book, but it did make me really think - was what we read real or did we just take a trip through a young girl's imagination. It is this unique aspect of the book that I think will attract older readers to it. 
 Further exploring the ending of the book, it could be said on a deep philosophical level that the entire book was a metaphor for the grieving process that children go through. Sure, you can read this book as a fun, whimsical children's book, but there are certain elements that occur at the halfway point in this book that will turn it into a potential 'thought-provoking' novel. 
 Overall, I think Ophelia and The Marvelous Boy will appeal to its age range of 8 to 12. I don't think most readers in that age group will notice the major gaps in the storyline, the repetitive nature of some of the actions, or the lack of character development. To those readers, it will just be another novel to read. In fact, I don't think many of the readers in this age group will even get the whole metaphoric ending. 
 Adult readers on the other hand may struggle with some of the elements in this book. It may feel like just another children's novel filled with quirky characters and a fast-moving plot. I truly feel the ending is the best part of this book. I really liked the way it made me think - at least for a few minutes - about what I just read and I loved the exploration of the museum, but overall I don't think it is a book that will stay with me for years to come.