In this witty spoof of fairy tales, Christian, a commoner, falls for Princess Marigold, and it's up to him to untwist an odd love triangle and foil a scheming queen who wants to take over the kingdom.

Full of zany humor, this sequel to "Once Upon a Marigold" continues the story of Christian and Marigold, who are living happily ever after now that Queen Olympia has gone--or has she?

The companion to Ferris' madcap "Once Upon a Marigold" and "Twice Upon a Marigold" offers evil plot-twists, sweet romance, and the kidnapping of the royal princess.

Sandy Huntington-Ackerman's life becomes increasingly complicated when his bungling, moneygrubbing uncles try to shanghai the family fortune by poisoning a birthday cake. Luckily, those conniving uncles prove yet again that they can't do anything right. Instead of bumping off the whole family, they put Sandy's mom and dad and their pet chicken into mysterious comas. Sandy joins forces with his loyal butler and a wise and wacky nurse to save his parents and squelch his uncles' felonious high jinks.

Now a major motion picture starring Jude Dench, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Tom Wilkinson, and Maggie Smith. When Ravi Kapoor, an overworked London doctor, reaches the breaking point with his difficult father-in-law, he asks his wife: “Can’t we just send him away somewhere? Somewhere far, far away.” His prayer is seemingly answered when Ravi’s entrepreneurial cousin sets up a retirement home in India, hoping to re-create in Bangalore an elegant lost corner of England. Several retirees are enticed by the promise of indulgent living at a bargain price, but upon arriving, they are dismayed to find that restoration of the once sophisiticated hotel has stalled, and that such amenities as water and electricity are . . . infrequent. But what their new life lacks in luxury, they come to find, it’s plentiful in adventure, stunning beauty, and unexpected love.

Marilyn Monroe once said, "I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best," and I couldn't agree more. Life is like a paradox of love and pain that may never leave each other, but in the end, the coexistence is worth the journey. Striving for the best is human nature, but are you really prepared for the roller-coaster rides or do you give up?

Relates the misadventures of Marigold, a monkey, as she shops with her mother for a coat, makes a hobby of "bugging" her best friend, Maxine the hippo, and imaginatively copes with finding the right outfit for the first day of school.

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.

The acclaimed Marigold series in one volume. “A mixture of fantasy, romance, comedy, and coming-of-age . . . and it’s all great fun.” —School Library Journal Once upon a Marigold, a fairy tale turned upside down, inside out, and completely over the top! Join Christian and Marigold through their one-of-a-kind adventures in this trilogy of tales that’s part comedy, part love story, part everything-but-the-kitchen-sink. 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 to create a happily-ever-after that’s just the beginning. Once Upon a Marigold was named an ALA Notable Children’s Book, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults, and a New York Public Library 100 Books for Reading and Sharing title. Praise for the Marigold series “In a gratifying fantasy that contains elements of classic fairy tales, Ferris breathes new life into archetypal characters by adding unexpected and often humorous dimensions to their personalities.” —Publishers Weekly “Cold indeed is the heart not made warm by this bubbly fairy-tale romance.” —Kirkus Reviews “Ferris leisurely combines elements of adventure, fantasy, romance, and humor.” —Booklist “An upbeat fairy-tale adventure.” —School Library Journal

SUMMARY: Includes stories, poems, reviews, and drawings for and by children.