Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles, Book 1) [Paperback]

J.H. Sweet (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 26, 2004 | Age Level: 7 and up | Series: The Fairy Chronicles

Beth Parish is an eight-year-old girl blessed with a marigold flower fairy spirit. With her mentor, a monarch butterfly fairy, Marigold learns how to be a fairy, and discovers things like the Fairy Handbook, the vast variety of fairy wands, how to create fairy lights, the purpose of fairies, what gnomes do, and the three things gremlins are afraid of. She attends fairy circle and meets her new friends —Thistle, Dragonfly, and Firefly. They discover that the brownies, keepers of the Feather of Hope, which is the source of all hope on Earth, need their help. Marigold must enlist the aid of her dachshund, Peanut, in a daring mission to rescue the Feather of Hope from a house occupied by dangerous gremlins.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Nine-year-old Beth Parish dreads spending two summer weeks with odd Aunt Evelyn. Things change when Evelyn reveals she and Beth are fairies. With Evelyn's guidance, Beth, a marigold fairy, learns how to transform, fly, and use her wand. When the Feather of Hope (which keeps hope alive in the world) is taken, Beth, with her dachshund, Pete, joins other fairies in a plan to retrieve it from a gremlin-occupied house. This first title of the originally self-published Fairy Chronicles series combines traditional fairy and contemporary elements with a likeable protagonist, who comes to appreciate her new abilities and responsibilities. The rescue is suspenseful, and Sweet laces the story with light humor and abundant fantasy details (fairies communicate via nut messaging). The colorful, classically styled illustrations, new to this edition, occasionally don't match the text (characters drink root beer from bottles not mugs as shown), but they are quite appealing, as is the use of decorative lettering here and there. An accessible, enjoyable story for readers who can't seem to get enough about magical spirits. Rosenfeld, Shelle --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

Magic surrounds us, though we can't always see it. Gnomes add color to the plants in our gardens, doves deliver our good dreams, gremlins occasionally break our things and Mother Nature keeps the balance between the light and the dark. But just because you can't see something doesn't mean it can't hurt you.

Luckily, Mother Nature has blessed some otherwise ordinary girls with an extraordinary gift: in addition to being girls, they have been granted a fairy spirit, each one as unique and beautiful as the girls themselves, each as wild and powerful as their counterparts in nature. Watch Dragonfly zoom by with the speed of her namesake, or witness Firefly use the incredible light that shines within her. Each fairy spirit is a powerful gift granting the girls who use them the ability to do amazing feats. But with power comes responsibility and the fairies might have the hardest of job of all: to protect Mother Nature and us, even though we don't even know they existed. Until now... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 52 pages
• Publisher: PublishAmerica (July 26, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1413729789
• ISBN-13: 978-1413729788
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,725,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J.H. Sweet is the author of The Fairy Chronicles, Foo and Friends, Juan Noel's Crystal Airship, Cassie Kingston Mysteries, and The Heaviest Things. She lives in South Texas and has a degree in English from Texas State University. Visit jhsweet.com for free e-books, fairy trivia, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Really Good Book, November 23, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles, Book 1) (Paperback)

This is a really good book. It is about a girl who finds out she is a fairy. Then she has to go with her friends to rescue the feather of hope from gremlins. I read this book to my little sister. She thinks it is the best book of all time. I think Harry Potter books are better because they are longer. She likes this book because it is shorter. Maybe this book is better because it is more about girls. Mom printed us another Fairy Chronicles book from the internet. We both like it because it is about a peaceful dragon. We are keeping it in a folder to read again. My sister wants a pussywillow wand. She will get one because she is five. I want a wooden wand because it is more grown up like Harry Potter. I want a daschund but I can't have one because we already have a poodle. This is a very very good book. You should read it.

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever and Amusing, November 3, 2004

By 

Jaclyn Ortiz - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles, Book 1) (Paperback)

As a fairy lover and dachshund owner, I feel this book was written specifically for me. The author has found a charming way to work fairy lore into real life. I am especially delighted to discover exactly what gremlins are afraid of: stainless steel, vacuum cleaners, and dachshunds. Now, when I have a run of bad luck with things breaking, I know to step up my vacuuming and give my dachshund free run of the house. The girls in this story are very independent and courageous and are great role models for youngsters. A wonderful book for all ages.

60 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Modern Fairy Story, May 25, 2005

By 

J. D. Fegler (Chesterfield, VA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles, Book 1) (Paperback)

I just had to read this book after seeing all the rave reviews. I thought it was a little pricy, but hoped it would be worth it. I just read it to my 7 and 11 year old daughters. The 11 year old is long past any interest in fairies, but something in this story kept her coming back to hear more. The story doesn't take place in some fantasy world for the most part, it takes place in our world. The story just introduces us to some fairies, brownies and gremlins that we might "overlook" in our day to day lives. We really enjoyed the fresh approach, that Beth/Marigold was just an ordinary girl, and her transformation back and forth between fairy and little girl was something we could all relate to without a huge stretch of the imagination. The story doesn't talk down to children, and while short, it is wonderfully creative. I think my money was well spent and hope to see book 2 soon! My older daughter says she especially liked Aunt Evelyn because of her colorful personality.