Ophelia and her older sister Alice travel with their father to a museum where he is putting together a fabulous collection of swords for the curator, the cold Ms. Kaminski. The girls have only recently lost their mother and are feeling lost. In a forgotten locked room at the museum, Ophelia discovers a boy about her age (12) who has no other name than Boy. He tells her that he has been sent from wizards of a faraway land to stop the snow queen. He only has until the last number on the clock in the museum's great hall, 3 days. And he is looking for three keys, his lost sword, and One Other, who will help him. Ophelia is not brave, but somehow she finds the courage to help the Boy, and save the world. The reference to the story the Snow Queen is obvious, but the story is much more than a retelling, it is a story of hope, and of unrealized courage.
229 pages 9780385753548 Ages 9-13
Read alikes: 100 Cupboards, The 68 Rooms, the Books of Elsewhere