To request this kit, click link above.
Alamance County Public Libraries provide free and open access to lifelong learning, resources for everyday living, and reading for pleasure in a welcoming environment. Our collections, services and programs enhance the quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. Contact the Library webmaster.
Alamance County Public Libraries operates as a Department of Alamance County Government. Visit the Alamance County Website at www.alamance-nc.com.
Unlikely heroine Ophelia Jane Worthington-Whittard 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 fi rst 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.
A story within a story, this a modern-day fairy tale is about the power of friendship, courage, and love—and never ever giving up.
1. At the beginning of the story, Ophelia doesn’t think she is brave, only curious, yet she does many brave things to save the Marvelous Boy and to protect her family. What one word would you use to describe Ophelia?
2. The Marvelous Boy never finds out his name. Were you disappointed not to know what he’s called? What do you think the boy’s name is?
3. Ophelia’s mom believed in ghosts and was very different from her dad and sister, and Ophelia herself loves science and facts. How does Ophelia’s imagination help her get advice from her mother at times when she is very alone?
4. The wizards in this book are not like most other wizards you’ve read about. They don’t mix potions or perform powerful spells; they’re quiet and believe that above all it’s important to be good. How does Ophelia use her goodness when she doesn’t feel brave or strong, to save the world?
5. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy are from different times, but they get along because they both need a friend. How do their differences help them work together to defeat the Snow Queen?
6. When Ophelia meets the ghost girls in the portrait room, she trusts Kyra to help guide her even though the other girls want Ophelia to stay with them forever. Why do you think she takes the leap of faith to trust Kyra?
7. When Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy meet, the boy tells Ophelia he has been waiting for her for a long time. Why do you think the boy knows Ophelia is the one who will save him right when he meets her?
8. Ophelia uses her quick thinking to superglue the locks shut on the seventh floor before she opens the door to the misery bird’s room. What kinds of creatures do you think were behind the other doors?
9. What clues told you that Ms. Kaminski was the Snow Queen in disguise?
10. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy is loosely based on The Snow Queen, a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen. What similarities do you see between the characters in this book and the characters the original tale? How does retelling a fairy tale change the way readers think about the story?