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Once Upon a Marigold

Part Comedy, Part Love Story, Part Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Who knew love could be so amazing—and stupefying? Not Christian. He was clueless when he started spying on the royal family through his telescope. He lives in a cave with a troll for a dad, after all. If his dad had only warned him about all that mind-boggling love stuff, maybe things wouldn't be such a mess. But then, maybe, Princess Marigold would be dead.
But Christian wasn't warned. And now that he's fallen for the princess, it's up to him to untwist an odd love triangle—er, rectangle—and foil a scheming queen who wants to take over the kingdom, even if it means bumping off her own daughter.
With echoes of William Goldman's modern classic The Princess Bride, Jean Ferris's hilarious parody of "Once upon a time . . ." overflows with oddball characters and sage observations—and ends with a slapstick happily-ever-after that's full of surprises.

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  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      October 28, 2002
      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.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 5, 2004
      A boy raised by a troll decides to see the world one day and discovers that lovely Princess Marigold, with whom he has corresponded, is about to become betrothed. "The author breathes new life into archetypal characters by adding unexpected and often humorous dimensions to their personalities," wrote PW
      . Ages 10-up.

Formats

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Languages

  • English

Levels

  • ATOS Level:5.7
  • Lexile® Measure:840
  • Interest Level:4-8(MG)
  • Text Difficulty:4-5

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