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Library | Call Number | Status |
|---|---|---|
Searching... Woodburn Public Library | FERRIS | Searching... Unknown |
Searching... Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Library | YA FIC FER | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
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.
Author Notes
JEAN FERRIS has written more than a dozen popular books for teens, including several ALA Best Books for Young Adults and one YALSA Teens' Top Ten Best Book. She lives in San Diego, California.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 5-9-As the cover proclaims, this story is truly "part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink." Readers first meet Chris when he is a strong-willed, clever child of six. He has run away from home, determined to live on his own in the forest. Edric, a troll, finds him and gives him shelter but cannot make him go back home, and Chris grows up with Edric and his dogs as his family, guided by an etiquette book found in the forest and Edric's own wisdom. As the boy grows, he continues his interest in inventing and watches the princess in the castle across the river. She is headstrong but lonely, and when Chris contacts her by carrier pigeon (or p-mail), they become best friends. When he takes work at the castle, there is no way that Chris, a commoner, can tell Marigold who he is, and he can only stand by as she is to be married to an unsuitable suitor. When he learns that her life is in danger, he must find a way to save her and the kingdom. This complex, fast-paced plot, a mixture of fantasy, romance, comedy, and coming-of-age novel, succeeds because these characters are compelling, well developed, and sympathetic. Quirky personalities and comic subplots give the story additional texture. Readers will be drawn into this world and be satisfied by the denouement. This blend of genres will appeal to a wide range of readers, and it's all great fun.-Shara Alpern, The Free Library of Philadelphia (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
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. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Horn Book Review
(Intermediate, Middle School) As with Love among the Walnuts (rev. 1/99), Ferris has produced a silly comedy with heart. When Edric the troll reluctantly takes in a six-year-old runaway, he thinks that he will soon find the boy's parents. Instead, Christian settles happily into life in the forest. Eleven years later, the young man strikes up an unusual friendship with the girl next door-who just happens to be a princess. Kept apart by circumstance, the two teens correspond by carrier pigeon (""p-mail"") until Christian takes a position as a servant at the castle. The lighthearted tale maintains just the right balance of humor and sentimentality as the characters finally meet and discover that their love is real. In keeping with the story's farcical tone, the one-dimensional nature of some of the characters (most notably Marigold's mother, the queen) provides a humorous counterpoint to Christian and Marigold's practical realism. The plot thickens and the tension builds until the crazy wedding-day climax, when Christian's true identity is discovered. Forbidden love, secret identities, a blessing-turned-curse-turned-blessing, and a happy ending-what more could you ask? (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Cold indeed is the heart not made warm by this bubbly fairy-tale romance. Raised by a kindly forest troll, Christian knows little of the world beyond what he can see through his telescope, but gazing upon a nearby castle, he falls head over heels for Princess Marigold. What chance has he, though, as a (supposed) commoner? When at last he nerves himself to send her a message via carrier pigeon, she answers and the courtship is on-via "p-mail" at first, then, after he lands a job as a castle servant, face to face. Setting numerous fairy-tale conventions just a bit askew, Ferris (Of Sound Mind, 2001, etc.) surrounds her two smart, immensely likable teenagers, who are obviously made for each other, with rival suitors, hyperactive dogs, surprising allies, and strong adversaries. The most notable among the last is devious, domineering Queen Olympia, intent on forcing Marigold into marriage with a penniless, but noble, cipher. The author gets her commonsensical couple to "I Do" through brisk palace intrigue, life-threatening situations, riotous feasting, and general chaos; Queen Olympia gets suitable comeuppance, and the festivities are capped by the required revelation that Christian is actually heir to the throne of neighboring Zandelphia. Fans of Gail Carson Levine's Princess Tales will be in familiar territory here, as well as seventh heaven. (Fiction. 11-13)
Booklist Review
Gr. 5^-8. Seventeen-year-old Christian has lived in a forest cave for 11 years with Ed the troll, who found him wandering in the woods as a child. When Christian turns his telescope on the nearby palace and falls in love with Princess Marigold, he wins her friendship through his carrier pigeon correspondence, a technological advance known as p-mail. But to win her heart and hand is another matter, one involving imprisonment in the dungeon, a surprising triumph of engineering, and the revelation of his royal lineage. Though this is a love story, it's not the soppy sort. Winning characters, unabashedly lame jokes, and a fresh, energetic telling will appeal to boys and girls alike. And for traditionalists, the story features a true fairy-tale ending, with happiness for those who deserve it and justice for all. Ferris, whose Of Sound Mind (2001) and Eight Seconds (2000) dealt with more serious subjects in more complex ways, shows her versatility in this bright, entertaining romance with elements of fantasy, adventure, and humor. --Carolyn Phelan