What do you think?
Rate this book
Ophelia Brown and the Unseen
There’s more to the world than what you can see.
Ophelia Brown’s favorite thing to do this summer has been to go straight to Pinella Pass Baptist Church, head into the musty old basement, and hang out with the ancient quilting ladies who spend way too much of their time there. After all, Mama Maisie, the proverbial ringleader of the quilting ladies, knows everything there is to know about the most exciting thing magic. To Ophelia and her friends, sacrificing the fresh summer air seems like a small price to pay for the sake of learning all about the Unseen Realm.
But not everything is fun and games in the Unseen Realm like it is in the church basement. Ophelia returns home one day to find her family gone and her house surrounded by goblins, and even though Mama Maisie says she has it under control, Ophelia can’t let her go after them alone. With sheer determination and her faithful friends by her side, Ophelia sets off on an exhilarating quest to set her family free from a world they can’t even see.
From the enchanting pages of this middle-grade fantasy comes a world of childhood games turned into living, breathing adventures. A perfect pick for fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Fablehaven.
Ophelia Brown’s favorite thing to do this summer has been to go straight to Pinella Pass Baptist Church, head into the musty old basement, and hang out with the ancient quilting ladies who spend way too much of their time there. After all, Mama Maisie, the proverbial ringleader of the quilting ladies, knows everything there is to know about the most exciting thing magic. To Ophelia and her friends, sacrificing the fresh summer air seems like a small price to pay for the sake of learning all about the Unseen Realm.
But not everything is fun and games in the Unseen Realm like it is in the church basement. Ophelia returns home one day to find her family gone and her house surrounded by goblins, and even though Mama Maisie says she has it under control, Ophelia can’t let her go after them alone. With sheer determination and her faithful friends by her side, Ophelia sets off on an exhilarating quest to set her family free from a world they can’t even see.
From the enchanting pages of this middle-grade fantasy comes a world of childhood games turned into living, breathing adventures. A perfect pick for fans of The Spiderwick Chronicles and Fablehaven.
- GenresFantasy
312 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 1, 2024
5 people are currently reading
17 people want to read
About the author
Julia Witmer
4 books26 followersJulia Witmer is the Christian fantasy author of "The Ophelia Brown Series", a whimsical middle grade fantasy filled with mysterious creatures, hidden worlds, and magic masked in the everyday. Raised in Chiang Mai, Thailand, she grew up surrounded by vibrant cultures and stories, sparking a lifelong passion for writing about magical encounters and complex worlds. Follow along on her writing journey to explore tales of hope-filled whimsy with a dash of darkness.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Read
August 7, 2024Oh, what a bittersweet feeling to be writing these words.
I started writing this story in 2022. Initially, I didn't think it would be much more than a novella I wrote for school. But as I sat down and started working on editing it, I realized just what a special place this story holds in my heart.
Now, as I finish my final read through of the story, I just hope and pray that it blesses someone else, too. I can't express how grateful I am for being able to write this book, and I hope you enjoy it :)
I started writing this story in 2022. Initially, I didn't think it would be much more than a novella I wrote for school. But as I sat down and started working on editing it, I realized just what a special place this story holds in my heart.
Now, as I finish my final read through of the story, I just hope and pray that it blesses someone else, too. I can't express how grateful I am for being able to write this book, and I hope you enjoy it :)
Read
August 1, 2024I received a free copy of this book in advance of its official publication in exchange for an honest review! So here we go.
Fantasy is not on my top list of favourite genres but this book has made the cut. I so loved delving into the world that Julia created, I envy her creativity and imagination. From the get go, you’re introduced to the main character; Ophelia Brown, and throughout the book she and her friends go through struggle and trial on their quest. One main theme in the book that I loved was the subtle hints at Christianity and the character of Jesus, something which is so lacking in modern fiction.
The scene at the end where Ophelia’s dad saves her when she couldn’t save herself despite her best efforts highlighted to me the love Jesus has for us, saving us when we can’t help ourselves. (This scene had me tearing up but I was in public so I had to hold in my tears).
I also loved how it showed the character Moptop who used to be on the side of evil but realised his error and changed. I commend you Julia, on this wonderful book that you’ve put so much hard work into.
For anyone reading this, I highly recommend getting your hands on this book, you won’t be disappointed! 🫶🏻
Fantasy is not on my top list of favourite genres but this book has made the cut. I so loved delving into the world that Julia created, I envy her creativity and imagination. From the get go, you’re introduced to the main character; Ophelia Brown, and throughout the book she and her friends go through struggle and trial on their quest. One main theme in the book that I loved was the subtle hints at Christianity and the character of Jesus, something which is so lacking in modern fiction.
The scene at the end where Ophelia’s dad saves her when she couldn’t save herself despite her best efforts highlighted to me the love Jesus has for us, saving us when we can’t help ourselves. (This scene had me tearing up but I was in public so I had to hold in my tears).
I also loved how it showed the character Moptop who used to be on the side of evil but realised his error and changed. I commend you Julia, on this wonderful book that you’ve put so much hard work into.
For anyone reading this, I highly recommend getting your hands on this book, you won’t be disappointed! 🫶🏻
August 1, 2024
"You're gonna get yourselves killed," he said, and proceeded to list at least a dozen reasons why they shouldn't go after Mama Maisie, including but not limited to: potential death via water, fire, moody plants, boredom, goblins, embarrassment, and too much walking, as well as likelihood to get lost, accidentally squish a fairy's house, or get on a nymph's bad side.
But these dangers don’t keep Ophelia Brown from setting off with her friends on a quest to rescue her family and beloved mentor, in this delightful middle grade fantasy by author Julia Witmer. With whimsical titles like “The Grumpiest Tree in Pinella Pass” and “Escaping a Cave Dungeon 101,” each chapter will delight young readers and their families. This engaging, clean fantasy read is a perfect independent read for ages 8-12 or as a read aloud for families – but even grown up kids like me will enjoy it!
But these dangers don’t keep Ophelia Brown from setting off with her friends on a quest to rescue her family and beloved mentor, in this delightful middle grade fantasy by author Julia Witmer. With whimsical titles like “The Grumpiest Tree in Pinella Pass” and “Escaping a Cave Dungeon 101,” each chapter will delight young readers and their families. This engaging, clean fantasy read is a perfect independent read for ages 8-12 or as a read aloud for families – but even grown up kids like me will enjoy it!
August 1, 2024
Which one of us as a child has not imagined that there was more around us than we could see? That if we could just find the right portal, spell, or spyglass, we would find creatures and creation other-worldly? Julia Witmer has given us a spyglass into another realm.
This is a fanciful, fun fantasy, full of adventure, imagination, and excitement. Though possibly a tad predictable for the adult reader, it is perfect for the age category it is written for, and would make an excellent family read-aloud or summer reading book for your child to read on their own. The book ends with enough closure to satisfy, but enough loose ends dangling and enticing you to ask for more. I look forward to seeing where the story takes us in the next adventure with Ophelia and friends.
Pam Boardwell, mother of 9, music teacher, home-schooling teacher for 28 years
This is a fanciful, fun fantasy, full of adventure, imagination, and excitement. Though possibly a tad predictable for the adult reader, it is perfect for the age category it is written for, and would make an excellent family read-aloud or summer reading book for your child to read on their own. The book ends with enough closure to satisfy, but enough loose ends dangling and enticing you to ask for more. I look forward to seeing where the story takes us in the next adventure with Ophelia and friends.
Pam Boardwell, mother of 9, music teacher, home-schooling teacher for 28 years
August 1, 2024
This is the cutest story! If you enjoy middle-grade fantasy "feel good" stories with the same feel as the Spiderwick Chronicles, this is definitely a book for you.
I don't read much middle-grade anymore, but almost as soon as I started reading this book, I was sucked back into the story worlds of my childhood. Maybe it was the Spiderwick-esque feel. Maybe it was the quiet countryside setting. Maybe it was the fact that little eleven-year-old Ophelia Brown reminded me very much of myself at that age. Whatever the reasons, I finished this book in one sitting.
From the first page, the quaint and inviting writing style drew me into Ophelia's perspective. Even though I didn't know what was going to happen, and didn't necessarily care about her yet, I wanted to keep reading just because the writing style was so enjoyable to take in. The way she described her settings felt both magical and nostalgic.
Of course, it didn't take me long to care about the characters. The characters are one of the strongest points in this story, as the cast is such a fun and diverse group. Each character feels real - with goals, feels, personalities, manners of speaking, and senses of humor all their own. Ophelia is a strong protagonist - flawed but willing to learn, and genuinely kind-hearted. I loved the glimpses of her and her family's strong relationships, and enjoyed watching as she grew closer and developed understandings with her friends.
Her friends were strong too! Though Jack took a while to earn my affection (his mood swings, let me tell ya), I came around to him in the end. And I could relate to Autumn and her skepticism. Her hesitation was a welcome perspective in the story, as was her unwavering loyalty, and I was rooting for her throughout the story. Miss Maisie is the ultimate mama bear, and Dottie...what can be said about that lovable cow? I don't believe I've ever read a story with an "attack cow" before today.
The other, and perhaps strongest aspect of the story to me, was the world-building. For a middle-grade novel, I felt it had a wonderful balance of bringing up questions and answering them. We never dove too deeply into the lore of the place, never biting off more than we could chew. But the aspects that were introduced were explained as much as we needed to know, and the names and workings of people and places, government systems, magical creatures, and magic systems all intrigued me, and made me wish for a much longer story to explore them all fully.
If I have any complaint with the story at all, it's that I wish there was more of it. I'd love to see more of the world, to see Ophelia with her family more, to know more about the Council of Obsidian, and to find out what happens after the end of the book. As I don't read much middle-grade these days and am not super familiar with the genre's expectations, this is probably not a fault of the book at all. With just a couple of exceptions, I didn't feel that the story left out too many answers, or brought up story threads that weren't answered. It just was too fun to end!
And in a similar vein, the plot is nothing crazy. Nothing too deep. But it was a classic children's fairy tale adventure, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was packed full of action - from goblin attacks, to castles, to a suspicious fairy inn - with frequent sweet moments woven throughout.
The themes included having hope, being courageous, true friendship, kindness, and faith - learning to believe in things we may not see. At the very start, I felt the latter theme was portrayed a bit on the nose, but the rest of the story featured it very subtly, and I liked how it was woven in.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Julia has a way with touching middle-grade fantasies, and this is my favorite of hers so far. I spent the entire time reading looking forward to getting my younger siblings a copy so they could experience it too. I've used the word "fun" so many times in this review, but I think it sums it up perfectly. This is a very fun story, and if it sounds like your kind of read, I absolutely recommend picking up a copy and diving in!
Content Warning: occasional very mild language (one usage of h*ck, d*rn, and g*sh), mild violence (references to the protagonist punching others and knocking others unconscious, as well as mention of a knife being drawn out during a fight), several arguments between friends (including several instances of name-calling: "stupid"), one mention of a small line of blood on the MC's hand, and light fantasy elements (goblins, fairies, spells, frequent mention of magic).
I would recommend this to: anyone who enjoys feel-good middle-grade fantasy, with fun settings, unique characters, and sweet themes. Even better if you love bittersweet happy endings!
*** I received an ARC copy of this book but was in no way required to leave a review - much less a positive one. This review solely features my own honest thoughts.***
I don't read much middle-grade anymore, but almost as soon as I started reading this book, I was sucked back into the story worlds of my childhood. Maybe it was the Spiderwick-esque feel. Maybe it was the quiet countryside setting. Maybe it was the fact that little eleven-year-old Ophelia Brown reminded me very much of myself at that age. Whatever the reasons, I finished this book in one sitting.
From the first page, the quaint and inviting writing style drew me into Ophelia's perspective. Even though I didn't know what was going to happen, and didn't necessarily care about her yet, I wanted to keep reading just because the writing style was so enjoyable to take in. The way she described her settings felt both magical and nostalgic.
Of course, it didn't take me long to care about the characters. The characters are one of the strongest points in this story, as the cast is such a fun and diverse group. Each character feels real - with goals, feels, personalities, manners of speaking, and senses of humor all their own. Ophelia is a strong protagonist - flawed but willing to learn, and genuinely kind-hearted. I loved the glimpses of her and her family's strong relationships, and enjoyed watching as she grew closer and developed understandings with her friends.
Her friends were strong too! Though Jack took a while to earn my affection (his mood swings, let me tell ya), I came around to him in the end. And I could relate to Autumn and her skepticism. Her hesitation was a welcome perspective in the story, as was her unwavering loyalty, and I was rooting for her throughout the story. Miss Maisie is the ultimate mama bear, and Dottie...what can be said about that lovable cow? I don't believe I've ever read a story with an "attack cow" before today.
The other, and perhaps strongest aspect of the story to me, was the world-building. For a middle-grade novel, I felt it had a wonderful balance of bringing up questions and answering them. We never dove too deeply into the lore of the place, never biting off more than we could chew. But the aspects that were introduced were explained as much as we needed to know, and the names and workings of people and places, government systems, magical creatures, and magic systems all intrigued me, and made me wish for a much longer story to explore them all fully.
If I have any complaint with the story at all, it's that I wish there was more of it. I'd love to see more of the world, to see Ophelia with her family more, to know more about the Council of Obsidian, and to find out what happens after the end of the book. As I don't read much middle-grade these days and am not super familiar with the genre's expectations, this is probably not a fault of the book at all. With just a couple of exceptions, I didn't feel that the story left out too many answers, or brought up story threads that weren't answered. It just was too fun to end!
And in a similar vein, the plot is nothing crazy. Nothing too deep. But it was a classic children's fairy tale adventure, and I enjoyed it from start to finish. It was packed full of action - from goblin attacks, to castles, to a suspicious fairy inn - with frequent sweet moments woven throughout.
The themes included having hope, being courageous, true friendship, kindness, and faith - learning to believe in things we may not see. At the very start, I felt the latter theme was portrayed a bit on the nose, but the rest of the story featured it very subtly, and I liked how it was woven in.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this story! Julia has a way with touching middle-grade fantasies, and this is my favorite of hers so far. I spent the entire time reading looking forward to getting my younger siblings a copy so they could experience it too. I've used the word "fun" so many times in this review, but I think it sums it up perfectly. This is a very fun story, and if it sounds like your kind of read, I absolutely recommend picking up a copy and diving in!
Content Warning: occasional very mild language (one usage of h*ck, d*rn, and g*sh), mild violence (references to the protagonist punching others and knocking others unconscious, as well as mention of a knife being drawn out during a fight), several arguments between friends (including several instances of name-calling: "stupid"), one mention of a small line of blood on the MC's hand, and light fantasy elements (goblins, fairies, spells, frequent mention of magic).
I would recommend this to: anyone who enjoys feel-good middle-grade fantasy, with fun settings, unique characters, and sweet themes. Even better if you love bittersweet happy endings!
*** I received an ARC copy of this book but was in no way required to leave a review - much less a positive one. This review solely features my own honest thoughts.***
August 2, 2024
Ophelia Brown and the Unseen, is next level imagination and creativity. It had me flipping through the pages wanting to know more and more about this Unseen realm, and about all the magic in this book. The author did a really good job with detail and description and context, it is easy and wonderful to imagine what this realm is like, even if it is unseen after all.. I dearly recommend this book to all readers who are in for good adventures❤️
October 3, 2025
I loved this! The story telling was amazing, and the story keeps you hooked from the very beginning. I loved how each new creature was so vividly described so you can easily imagine what they looked like. This story has a few lessons thrown in along the way which is think are so important for children to learn. Overall, I loved this book and can’t wait to finish this series!
July 4, 2025
LOVE this book. Filled with wonder and magic. One of my new favorite reads!
November 7, 2025
This book was really good! It was perfect to read during fall with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews