Once Upon a Marigold - by Jean Ferris

This is a hilarious love story, and I could hardly put it down.  In fact, my only two complaints about this book are that it went too quickly, and was pretty predictable.  It ends like fairy tales usually do (so I won't explain), but along the way there were some very fun and interesting twists.  It is a book that has you jumping up and rooting for your favorite characters, and hissing at their enemies.  It's an excellent read for fairy tale fans who want a thrilling, fast-paced story with some quirky characters.

The main character is Christian, a lad who at six ran away from home and wound up living in a cave with a troll.  Before we know it, he's gotten to that age where a boy must go out and find his way in the world, and his way happens to be straight to the castle where the girl of his dreams spends her days as a captive princess.  Before you know it there is love in the air, evil plots and dedicated pigeons, dopey suitors and tricky mothers, and all manner of other diversions to keep you flipping pages until the heartwarming epilogue.  I'm guessing this book will mainly appeal to fourth grade and older girls, but the male characters are just as plucky and cool as the girls, so boys, don't be afraid to give it a shot.