Once Upon a Marigold by Jean Ferris is again one of my all time favorite books. It's a comedy/mystery/romance story about a boy named Christian who falls into the care of an unlikely parent, a troll named Ed. Christian is a really smart kid and loves to invent things. One of the things he invents is a telescope that uses to spy on the terrace of the royal palace. There are three princesses - twins with blonde hair and perfect figures, and one plain, brown haired princess who loves to read.

 

Christian and Marigold (the plain princess) soon set up a correspondence of "p-mail" in which they use carrier pigeons to correspond. Marigold reveals to Christian that she has a curse on her that seems unbreakable, and to make matters worse she's about to get married to a well-meaning but flustered prince. Christian takes on a job at the palace in order to break the curse and stop the wedding while trying to unravel the secrets of his own past. Can he do it?

 

This book is lighthearted, cheerful, and in the end just plain silly. Of course, it's silly in a good sense. Ed is always getting his idioms mixed up (for instance, "You've buttered your bread and now you have to lie in it") and Marigold often uses detailed descriptions ("I'd rather be dipped into oil. The kind with cholesterol") that make you giggle forever.

 

I recommend this book to an audience of any age and hope that you enjoy it as much as I!