Once Upon a Marigold - 3/5 Stars

Once Upon a Marigold

By Jean Ferris

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?

A young man with a mysterious past and a penchant for inventing things leaves the troll who raised him, meets an unhappy princess he has loved from afar, and discovers a plot against her and her father.

Recommended for ages 10 and up, this comes across as a child friendly parody of a fairy tale with a happy ending for all those who deserve it. By golly, the ending is so happy it's almost Disney-esque!

The protagonist, a then 6-year-old Chris, is found wandering the woods in a blue velvet suit by a troll named Edric while he's hunting. After some banter, Edric takes Chris home to his crystal cave and offers him a room for the night. But as Chris sheds his blue suit for an old shirt he makes the conscious decision to shed his old life when he sleepily declares, "You can throw that stupid velvet suit away. I'm never wearing it again." (Once Upon a Marigold, Page 11) 

After a little coursion (read as: blackmail), Ed agrees to let Chris stay with him indefinitely. (Of course it was a plus that Ed's dogs Cate and Bub showed a fondness for Chris.)  Fast forward 11 years - no seriously, the author really skips ahead eleven years - Chris begins Pigeon mailing  (or p-mailing) with a Princess and chaos ensues. 

I enjoyed reading this book, and overall I'd rate Once Upon a Marigold 3 Stars out of 5. The story really has everything in it - a mentally deficient tooth fairy, an overzealous knight, a Queen hiding a dark secret or three, and I'm pretty sure they even mention a kitchen sink at least once. (Just kidding about the kitchen sink. *rimshot*) All joking aside, there are a few serious moments and some great underlying messages. Like, for example, family isn't just about genetics... your family can be a lonely old troll and a couple of dogs because it's all about who was there for you emotionally and otherwise.

I'd recommend this book to primary school children, or adults looking for an easy read.