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Summary: Once Upon a Marigold breaks the rules
Review: I personally thought that Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris was kind of corny. The way that Christian and Marigold talk to each other is so dramatic and they just barely met, so that made it really cheesy. In the book, Ed is a troll who finds a little boy named Christian hiding in a bush in the woods because he doesn't want to go home. So Christian lives with Ed and grows up with no real social life when he starts writing letters to a princess (Marigold) he can see through a telescope. About a year later, Ed sends Christian to go live in the town where the princess is so that maybe he can get a life. Marigold has a curse that when she touches someone, she can tell what they are thinking. But when Christian starts talking to Marigold, or anybody for that matter, he just kind of breaks the rules of a fairy tale. To me, fairy tale's are supposed to be where the lowly person who is in love with the prince or princess gets really close to talking to them, but never can because they will get in trouble, but then Christian does and that kind of took me by surprise and I thought it made it a little corny. Maybe it's just because I'm not used to that, though. But then Christian and Marigold fall in love all of a sudden and talk to each other like they will never see the other again. It might be a fun story for a child under 12 or something, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who wants a good story.
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Summary: Great for teaching idioms and vocabulary
Review: I read this book to my 4th and 5th grade students. While I wasn't sure about it at the beginning (it was a little to Shrek-y for me and I'm not a Shrek fan) it turned out to be incredibly funny. My students LOVED it. They especially loved how Ed would mix up the idioms. This encouraged a lot of discussion and they learned a lot. Keep a dictionary handy. This book has some challenging vocabulary. It got to the point that my students grabbed dictionaries while I read to look up some words because I didn't even know what they meant. I will say, the kids loved looking up the words because they loved the book so much. A great read and a great opportunity to teach.
Rating:
Summary: A Blooming Book
Review: I think that Once Upon a Marigold was ok. The beginning was fun and pretty good. The ending was terrible though. In the end everything just happened at once. I recommend this book to kids ages 9-10,but kids that are older than 10 shouldn't read it. I think the characters were developed really well. I enjoyed it just a little.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worthy for reading
Review: my friend suggested i read this book, she said it was funny and sweet so i ordered it and began reading it. Take it from me, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK, IT'S NOT WORTH IT. i thought this book was going to be good but i soon found out it was BORING and CORNY and RETARDED. im sorry to say but i did not like this book. The ending was so corny and impossible, everything happened so fast. i truely disliked this book, even the romantic scenes were too much for me. i love romantic books but this was just so retarded and stupid. If you're between the ages of 9-12, perhaps u may like it but take it from me, this is NOT WORTHY FOR READING.
Rating:
Summary: EXTREMELY GOOD BOOK!!!!!!!
Review: Once Upon A Marigold (by Jean Ferris)is one of my new favorte books.
This book starts when Edric (commonly called Ed) finds little Christian hiding from his parents in a bush. Christian insists that parents, especially his, are too strict. He makes Ed let him stay. Eventually, he starts watching the royal family through Ed's telescope. The princess Marigold gets a letter from him one day, and they start a friendship over P-mail. (Pigeon mail). When Christian is 18, Ed tells him to go over to the castle and get a job. Chris finds out that Marigold is having a big dinner that night, and she must pick a suitor, either the uptight Prince Cyprian, or the weak-kneed Sir Magnus. The story turns into a wild adventure when Chris finds out that Queen Olympia wants to murder both Marigold and the kind old King Swithbert.
This book is very good, and I recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy. ages 9 and up.
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Summary: Once Upon a Marigold
Review: Once Upon a Marigold Harcourt, 2002, 272pp., $6.95
Jean Ferris ISBN 0-439-57624-5
Christian, a 17 year-old boy, who lives with a troll, has for ten watched through a telescope the princesses in the neighboring kingdom. He was watched them grow up and get married, all but one, Marigold. Marigold is a smart beautiful princess who has the gift to read peoples' minds when she touches them. People do not know the secret of this gift, so they avoid her, which makes her sad and lonely. Her father is the one person who does not avoid his daughter. King Swithbert is a very sick man who is humble and kind to everyone. Queen Olympia, Marigold's mother, is trying to find a young prince to marry her daughter so that she can rule the kingdom.
One day while watching Marigold, Christian decides to contact her via p-mail
(carrier pigeon). She responds to his question and so their friendship begins.
Once upon a Marigold is about love and friendship. It shows a friendship grow in to love. This book has a clever plot with many humorous and surprising twists and turns. Jean Ferris created detailed characters with interesting personalities.
Rating: 
Summary: A charming fairy tale with a modern heroine
Review: Once Upon a Marigold is a fairy tale in the classic sense, with a princess, an evil queen, and a troll. But it has a decidedly modern feel to it. The best and most modern thing about the book is the heroine, Marigold.
Jean Ferris has created a princess who isn't frightened or helpless and who isn't waiting for a big strong man to carry her off. While she would like to marry, she takes action to turn away unwelcome suitors, deciding that she would rather never be married than tie herself to a cruel or boring man. She is brave and smart enough to want to be a ruler, not just the wife of a ruler, and she ponders how best to justly run a kingdom. She even dares to stand up to her mother, who has a terrible future in mind for her.
The other characters in this book are likeable as well; Ed, the troll who collects lost items from the forest and lives in a crystal cave; Christian, the runaway little boy Ed raises; Marigold's father, the befuddled king; even the pigeons and dogs are delightful. And the plot, involving the romance between Christian and Marigold and their attempts to save Marigold from her mother's evil plans, is exciting and funny, though not particularly surprising.
I recommend this book to junior high readers who like classic fairy tales that have relevance for today. I would give Once Upon a Marigold to my daughter to read, in order to show her that she can be a beautiful, funny, brave woman with a romantic and adventurous life.
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Summary: Once Upon a Marigold
Review: Once Upon a Marigold is a very cute book. I really enjoyed the comedy, love story, and fantasy that was part of this book. This story is about two lonely people who fall in love and what they go through to be together. Christian, is a regular boy who loves to invent things. Marigold is the royal princess who has an evil mother that wants to be the last one standing with the castle and crown. She will do anything even if it means plotting behind her family and Marigold's back. I would say this book is for people from ages 11 and up who love a good fantasy novel.
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Summary: Once Upon A Marigold
Review: Once Upon a Marigold, written by Jean Ferris, is a great fantasy book. On the front cover it is described as "part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink". When I saw it I immediately wanted to read it.
Once Upon a Marigold is the story of a princess and a runaway boy who lives with a troll. The princess, Marigold, is lonely until she gets a letter from Christopher. They learn all about each other by exchanging letters. When Marigold is being forced to marry a silly prince, Christopher is determined to save her.
I really enjoyed this book. It had funny characters and a wonderful ending. Jean Ferris's writing reminds me of Gail Carson Levine's, which I love. There are quite a few books that I dislike and this is definitely not one of them.
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Summary: "Part everything but the kitchen sink"
Review: The cover of my copy of this book bears the above caption. The story is just that--and, dissappointing. An earlier reviewer aptly used the word "corny." It's "mush" that will appeal to the recreational reading of middle school girls.
The 266 pages of this story posing as narrative is nearly linear and shallow like a fairy tale. Ed, the troll/foster father, and his rival, a tooth fairy, are simply that in name. There is little magical or interesting about them in the writing. Marigold's paranormal "curse" is more appealing than horrific. The book survives on farce with sterotypical motifs that will appeal, I suppose, to a younger reading audience.
Christian builds things like a boy preoccupied with LEGOS. Yet his biggest creation, the flying machine, is simply that--no description. Marigold wants a sharing relationship versus a title and dowry. Dogs abound--some think and make wisecracks. Olympia, "stepmother," mimicks Cruella DeVille.
Reading this fairy tale is akin to picking up that title in the family section at Blockbuster to appease your young children. You hope that it's wholesome and that it has some substance and merit. Yet, typcially, you discover it's shallow and that it also contains an adult suggestion of sexuality such as what is depicted with Rollo's girlfriend's seductive behavior with the protagonist.
The interspersion of big vocabulary words in the narrative seems contrived in the flow of dialogue. Even more distracting for me--many sentences end with prepositions.
The author does have a flair for writing. At the end, she brings together all the events and problems solved in summation. But then, preposterously, she matter-of-factly informs the reader that Olympia has survived her fall to the depths of a river and has returned. Is a sequel contemplated? I hope not.
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