Rating:  Summary: Great Relationships in this book Review: As a fairy tale this book has everything: A young commoner of mysterious origin, raised by a conscientious troll and two faithful dogs. A young princess with a curse. A queen with dubious plans to marry off said princess. A doddering king. And a young love made stronger by p-mail (pigeon mail). This may sound like your typical fairy tale, but that's where the "typical" part of this fairy tale ends. What results from Jean Ferris' imagination is a very comical twist on the traditional fairy tale. One in which you may guess early on what the end result is going to be for our two main characters but will read on in delight just to find out for sure. Along the way you'll get some brief lessons in Greek mythology and learn some truly awful jokes.
At 272 pages this book is actually a very quick read. I typically don't finish books in one day but I was so thoroughly engrossed in this entertaining tale that I cuddled up in bed with my dog and was through most of the book in just a few hours. The recommended age on the back of this book is 10 and up and that is probably fairly accurate, although this would be a marvelous story to read aloud to even younger children. While not overly complex, this is a sophisticated children's book and one that any fairy-tale loving adult would enjoy. I'm looking forward to checking out more of Ferris' novels. I highly recommend this book.
Rating:  Summary: Predictable and mediocre... Review: As someone who enjoys original fairy tales, I had some pretty high hopes for this book. It didn't meet them. Ed, a troll who lives in the woods comes across a young boy who has run away named Christian. Unable to find his family, Ed adopts him. Christian grows and soon tires of his non-existent social life. He yearns to go to the castle across the river, partly because of the excitement, partly because he has a crush on the young Princess Marigold, who he has been spying on with his telescope. Ed reluctantly agrees to let him go, and before he knows it, he befriends Marigold and finds out her secret. Several times I just wanted to flip to the last page and go "I knew it!" but I kept reading. I think the best part of the book was the beginning. If you don't like it then don't even bother reading the rest.
Rating:  Summary: An enchanting fairy tale Review: 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.
Rating:  Summary: ~The most wonderful book in a million!~ Review: I am an 11-year old girl. About a month ago, I read an exciting,funny,and romantic book called "Once Upon a Marigold".This book is a tale of a boy who falls in love with a princess. They were best friends and wrote letters as a start. The boy's name is Christian. He ran away from home when he was six years old. He lived with a troll untill he was seventeen.Then he went to work at the castle for a living. Christian is a funny, kind, and caring character. He likre to invent things. The princess Marigold is in love with him, too, but she is to be wed to Sir Charles. Will love come through? I don't want to ruin it for you, so you can read it yourself! I loved this book because it is a great way to fall into a new world! If I could, I would make it a Newberry winner. If you read this book , I would guarantee you will really enjoy yourself! This book is a little like Cinnderella, and the auther is very,very good!
Rating:  Summary: Fabulous book! Review: I enjoyed this book very much. It was a romance/adventure fiction novel and I had a blast reading every page. The descriptions were wonderful and the plot was twisting and intriguing. I think many more young teens would also enjoy this story.
Rating:  Summary: A great read -- pick it up! Review: I got this book at a book fair at school, and wasn't expecting much, as I'm well over the age limit of "Intermediate". I happen to be a sucker for fairy tales, which is why I picked it up. I was in for a treat -- this book is great! It's funny, witty, and has a great ending that leaves you spinning with great ideas. It's definitely a great book worth a read, and even more so if you like fairy tales and comedy intertwined. It nails a few comical society problems (without sounding drab one bit), and has the exact amount of tension to keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last period. I'll be looking for a sequel to this book, because the end leaves you grinning for more! It's one of the rare books that I've found actually ends complete but leaves room for a sequel, which is one of the qualities that draws readers in. Great work, Ms. Ferris!
Rating:  Summary: Picked it up on a used book table... Review: I grabbed this one off of a used book table because I liked the cover and it has instantly jumped to my top ten list of favorite books. It is has a little of everything a good fairy tale needs - a little magic, a little absurdity, a hero who's easy to love... I laughed out loud in some places and read passages out loud to friends because I was so amused by them. A great read for anyone, any age.
Rating:  Summary: A real review from a real reader Review: I know that many of the "reviews" that appear here are propoganda put forth by the authors and the author's friends, but I'm a real parent who has spent the last 4 weeks reading this book to my 9-year-old at bedtime. It began promising enough but it became an annoyance quickly. The author flits from idea to idea and never really follows a cohesive story through. Also, readers beware -- the author has filled the book with a lot of words that most adults never come accross in a book. I found myself reaching for a dictionary quite a bit trying to define the "oh-so-smart-and-look-how-clever-I-am" vocabulary. To compare this to Princess Bride does that book a disservice. Bride is cleverly plotted, fresh, intelligent, witty and satirical. This strives desperately to be all of those things and falls flat. Give me my 30 nights back!!!
Rating:  Summary: Cute Fairytale Review: I love this book!
The story is about a boy named Christian who is in love with Princess Marigold from afar. But, Christian is only a boy who grew up with a troll, how could he be anything to her?
At age 6, Christian ran away from home. Ed, the troll, finds him in the bushes. Ed tries to take him home, but Christian refuses.
Christian loves to invent things. One of his best inventions is p-mail, (communication through pigeons). He uses this to talk with Princess Marigold, who to him looks unhappy. He finds out about her "curse": being able to read a person's mind when she touches them. Soon, Christian gets a job at the castle, working as a servant. The fairytale is pretty much the same from there. Evil mother trying to kill her, the princess engaged to someone she doesn't love, you know the drill.
Even though I loved this book, I recommend it for younger readers, because of the story. I was reading through other reviews, that talked about how "corny" this book was. I can see it from that point of view, if you're an adult. I loved it, but I am also 14. Give this book a try, and decide for yourself!
Rating:  Summary: I loved this book Review: I loved this book. If your a big fan of fairy tales and stuff like that you would like this book. I know people are saying it was a bit corney, but I enjoy stuff like that even though I didn't find this book to be a bit corney. I'm not a big fan of reading seeing that I'm only 13 but I got this book and I finished it in a day, I couldn't put it down! I was even reading it at dinner!
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