Marvel The Marvelous

Welcome to Northern Joya, an icy land where horses can ice skate and pink clouds communicate. Marvel (a horse) lives here with her two older sisters, Brilliance and Luster. When Joya's king and queen discover a child in a frozen pond, the whole village sets out to create their very first bonfire. This melts the ice, turning it into a great river. Spring arrives. The child, named Lee, has no idea how she ended up in this strange land and is desperate to go home. The king and queen teller her that is she follows the river's current, she will find Treasure House, the portal to Earth. Marvel, who had befriended Lee, volunteers to accompany her along for her journey. They are joined by Bonzo the mastiff and Beanie the pug. The four friends swim along the dark and dirty sewage; encounter the Spigot-von-Glume, a monster created by pollution; and meet the honey-bunnies and talking flowers. Along the way, Lee tries to recollect on how she ended up in the frozen pond. She can remember that a car accident caused by her father, who was drunk. As she continues to ponder on her current situation, they face their final challenge: the Darkling Orblock. After they cleverly get past the monster, Lee enters the Treasure House, briefly seeing her sister Claire before she is transported to Earth. When she wakes up, she finds herself in a hospital, and her parents explain that she had just been in a coma. Claire had died in the accident. Lee and Marvel, in their own worlds, cry, knowing that they will never have a chance to make a proper farewell with each other.

This is a charming, engaging story for transitional readers.

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