Once Upon a Marigold
by Jean Ferris
Published by Harcourt, Inc.
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Reviewed by Laura V. Hilton
Edric's trouble began the day he was out in the forest and a six-year-old boy named Christian popped out of the bushes. Christian has run away from his family and even though Edric searched, he never could find Christian's parents.
Eleven years goes by while Edric parents Christian. They live in a cave in the forest. Now Christian is in love with a princess, but she'll never notice him--a mere forest dweller who lives with a troll in a cave. Still, that doesn't stop Christian from corresponding with Princess Marigold.
The princess' mother, Queen Olympia, is scheming to take over the kingdom--and since she can't seem to marry Marigold off, she's planning to bump her off. Can Christian stop the Queen's evil plans and save Princess Marigold?
Once Upon a Marigold is a totally cute book guaranteed to appeal to girls ages ten and up. It might even appeal to some boys. It has lame jokes, an interesting plot, and fantastical creatures in a magical forest--complete with an incompetent tooth fairy.
The writing is probably not the best in the world, and it starts out slow, but once I got past the first twenty-two pages or so the writing picked up and I couldn't put the book down.
The cover says "Part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink." How fun is that? The book matches its blurb.
Armchair Interviews says: It is a fun read.
Author's Web site: http://www.jeanferris.com