Once Upon a Marigold [Paperback]

Jean Ferris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2004 | Age Range: 9 and up

Christian is gaga for Princess Marigold. But he's just a commoner, and no match for royalty. Heck, he lives in a cave with a troll! And now he's discovered another reason to put his love-soggy heart on ice: Queen Olympia is scheming to take over the kingdom--and she'll bump off her own daughter to do it. Can Christian foil her diabolical plans?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In a gratifying fantasy that contains elements of classic fairy tales, Ferris (Love Among the Walnuts) breathes new life into archetypal characters by adding unexpected and often humorous dimensions to their personalities. The protagonist, Christian, has been raised in the forest by a troll named Edric. As he nears manhood, Christian decides it is time to see the world-or at least the section across the river, where the lovely Princess Marigold resides. Having spent many hours gazing at Marigold through a telescope and corresponding with her by "p-mail" (letters sent by carrier pigeon), he has already felt the sting of Cupid's arrow by the time he lands a job in court. Marigold readily returns his affections, but unfortunately, she is about to become betrothed to Sir Magnus. Meanwhile, Marigold's evil mother, Queen Olympia, is plotting to murder both Marigold and her kindly, doting father, King Swithbert. Readers swept into the lighthearted spirit of this novel will likely not be bothered by the predictability of outcomes. As in fairy tales of old, jabs are made at social values and norms, and concepts of nobility and ignobility are painted in very broad strokes. Nonetheless, heroes and heroines emerge as convincing, well-rounded characters embodying flaws as well as virtues. Their foibles-Edric's tendency to mix up adages, Christian's stubborn streak and Marigold's penchant for "awful" jokes-make the good guys all the more endearing. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-9-As the cover proclaims, this story is truly "part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink." Readers first meet Chris when he is a strong-willed, clever child of six. He has run away from home, determined to live on his own in the forest. Edric, a troll, finds him and gives him shelter but cannot make him go back home, and Chris grows up with Edric and his dogs as his family, guided by an etiquette book found in the forest and Edric's own wisdom. As the boy grows, he continues his interest in inventing and watches the princess in the castle across the river. She is headstrong but lonely, and when Chris contacts her by carrier pigeon (or p-mail), they become best friends. When he takes work at the castle, there is no way that Chris, a commoner, can tell Marigold who he is, and he can only stand by as she is to be married to an unsuitable suitor. When he learns that her life is in danger, he must find a way to save her and the kingdom. This complex, fast-paced plot, a mixture of fantasy, romance, comedy, and coming-of-age novel, succeeds because these characters are compelling, well developed, and sympathetic. Quirky personalities and comic subplots give the story additional texture. Readers will be drawn into this world and be satisfied by the denouement. This blend of genres will appeal to a wide range of readers, and it's all great fun.
Shara Alpern, The Free Library of Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Sandpiper (June 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152050841
• ISBN-13: 978-0152050849
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (120 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #338,536 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Children's Books > Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths > Collections

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fantasy story October 22, 2006

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

Once Upon a Marigold by: Rachel Kemel

The book I read was Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris. This book is about a boy, Christian, who is looking for adventure and runs away from home. He ends up living with a forest troll. Christian liked to invent things and to watch the royal family through his telescope. He falls in love with the princess and one day sends her a letter. The boy and the princess are soon writing letters to each other all the time. The forest troll tells the boy that he has to grow up, to start figuring things out by himself and to get a job. The boy gets a job at the palace, where he learns about a plot. The plot is for the queen to kill the princess and her father so she could take the throne. The boy is put into a dungeon but he escapes, crashes the princess's wedding, and gets married to her, all of this in one day.

I thought this book was exciting to read because you could never predict what was going to happen next. I like unpredictable stories because when you read there are surprises that make you read it more and more. I was able to feel like I was in the book because the author was very descriptive when she was writing. I was able to paint a picture in my head of what was happening in the book, I feel that it is a good quality in a book. The main conflict did interest me because it helped the story get more interesting as the main conflict got bigger and bigger. The characters seemed realistic because the author described them really well, so I could picture them like a painting in my mind. The book's ending was very satisfying because everything turned out okay, the boy married the princess, the queen was defeated, and the boy was able to invent a bridge for the kingdom....

The author's voice was mysterious because she described things and then all of a sudden something happens without you knowing it. Her voice helps the story get better. The author used vocabulary in an interesting way; some words were Beelzebub, Hecate, Edric, Swithbert, Olympia, and Beaufort. These are all names of animals and people in the story. I like it because it makes the story more interesting with more interesting names. The author's unique characteristics are, being able to paint a picture in person's head, teaching lessons, keeping the suspense going, and making me feel like I was somewhere else. The author's ability to make you feel like the characters are talking to you, that you are actually there, and mysterious voice that makes you wonder what's will happen next makes you want to read the story more. The author's ability to make the characters seem to be talking to you makes the book seem more appealing because when they seem sad you start to feel sad. It really makes it interesting. When you feel like you are there, you can see everything that is happening, you feel like you are a completely different person. The author's tone made the book very unpredictable. When I read it I did not suspect anything that had happened which just made it better and better. Once Upon a Marigold is one of those books where you feel like you are in them and watching from the sidelines. I love to read those kinds of books.

I give Once Upon a Marigold a five because it was very descriptive, and I felt like I was in it. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes captivating books. I would recommend this book because it is a really good book and everything good happens, it makes you want to see what will happen next.

Once Upon a Marigold is a really good book that is about things that aren't in real life that make it more interesting then it would if there wasn't. I am really glad that I read this book. Read more ›

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An enchanting fairy tale January 5, 2003

By shiara the witch

Format:Hardcover

I absolutely loved this book! I loved that it was a fairy tale, and I loved the story.

Christian is a boy that ran away from home and was adopted by a troll and his two dogs. He grows up admiring the princess marigold from across the river, and when he is 17 he starts coresponding with her.

Edric, the troll that adopted Christian, thinks that Christian should go and see the world, so Christian goes and takes a job at the castle. The night he arrives a banquet is being held in honour of princess Marigold's two suiters, neither of which she likes. Marigold and Christian finaly meet and fall in love, but before they can live happily ever after they have to foil the plans of Marigold's evil mother.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon A Marigold November 23, 2005

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

Once Upon A Marigold, is a novel by Jean Ferris. It takes place in an enchanted forest and King Swithbert's castle.

The main characters are a commoner named Christian, a princess named Marigold, a troll named Ed, a King named Swithbert, and a Queen named Olympia. This story is about Christian who falls in love with Princess Marigold. Christian started to P-mail (pigeon mail) her. Surprisingly enough she writes back. One day his foster father Ed says he has to go and get a job. So Christian gets a job at the castle where Princess Marigold lives. He over hears Queen Olympia saying that if Marigold gets married to one of her suitors named Sir Magnus, who does not have a kingdom of his own and they would be have to live at the castle. She would have an "accident" happen to Marigold and King Swithbert. Then Queen Olympia would rule. Now Christian has to convince Marigold that her mother is trying to kill her! There are surprising secrets at the end that I will not tell so you have to read the book to find out.

My favorite part was when Christian and Marigold first met and Christian finds out about Marigold's powers. This is when the story gets exciting because it is what the beginning is leading up to.

I recommend you should read this book if you are between the ages of 9 and 14. I would give this book 5 stars because it was one of the best books I have ever read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Once Upon a Marigold July 25, 2005

By Drama/English teacher

Format:Paperback

I am a middle school Language Arts teacher from Florida where ONCE UPON A MARIGOLD is among the 15 books selected as Sunshine State Young Readers recommended books for the 2005-2006 school year. Having read all 15 books this summer, a few stood out as being worth a 5 star rating; ONCE UPON A MARIGOLD is one of those books not because I think it's one of the best books, but it suits my personal taste wonderfully.

Were I to be asked to teach humor using a young adult (YA) novel, I would certainly choose this book from this list (which also includes the excellent YA titles: GRANNY TORELLI MAKES SOUP, SAHARA SPECIAL, THE UNSEEN and AL CAPONE DOES MY SHIRTS -- I would also highly recommend the superb SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson). This is not a brilliant book, but its humor and love story reminded me very much of THE PRINCESS BRIDE. So, my observations as a strict English teacher aside, this was a personal favorite because humor is difficult to write and Ms. Ferris was able to strike my funny bone in a soft, romantic and happy way.

If you're looking for a pleasant read (with excellent middle school vocabulary words to boot), I cannot recommend this book more.

[I will not reveal any more of the story than other commentators already have as I feel that the joy of the reading is in discovering what comes next.]