Marigold and the Feather of Hope, The Journey Begins (The Fairy Chronicles)

Except for Tale of Despereaux and a few "cautionary tales" there aren't very many new fairy tales being written. This is a higher reading level than Red Riding Hood and Goldilocks. I would say more along the lines of Rapunzel and Cinderella, two of my kid's favorites. However, this book is more modern. There are some morals worked into the story but nothing directly religious. The young girl heroines are very independent and confident for their ages and are good role models for girls. This book would appeal to younger boys too because of the boy fairy brownies, gremlins, dachshund, and because they will probably admire the strong little girls. The brownies also have an incredibly important job in spreading hope over the entire world. I recommend this book for girls 6-12 and boys 6-10. It would be a good read-aloud book for 3-6 year olds. There is also a strong nature aspect to this book because the fairies protect nature. Good story and my kids and I are looking forward to more in this series. Jas Bertolli

It seems many fairy stories today are either completely rooted in the lore of old, or so trendy that they are obvious mimics of the most popular magical books of our times. I am pleased to report that this book is neither. There is still beauty and delicacy in the realm of The Fairy Chronicles, but the characters are real and genuine human beings. If there are fairies in our world today, this is precisely how they are living and participating in society. I believe fairies would have progressed with the world to be exactly like this. They would not have stayed stuck in time. I am very impressed that this story presents both lovely elements of fairy fancy and strong characters of today who take action and get things done. I am tempted to believe that all of this is real, and I wonder how many fairies I might know who are carrying out their important fairy business very cleverly and secretly right under my nose. Even though I am in my forties, this story makes me wish I were a fairy. This is a wonderful book.

This is a really good book. It is about a girl who finds out she is a fairy. Then she has to go with her friends to rescue the feather of hope from gremlins. I read this book to my little sister. She thinks it is the best book of all time. I think Harry Potter books are better because they are longer. She likes this book because it is shorter. Maybe this book is better because it is more about girls. Mom printed us another Fairy Chronicles book from the internet. We both like it because it is about a peaceful dragon. We are keeping it in a folder to read again. My sister wants a pussywillow wand. She will get one because she is five. I want a wooden wand because it is more grown up like Harry Potter. I want a daschund but I can't have one because we already have a poodle. This is a very very good book. You should read it.

I read this book to my four-year-old daughter, and she has since become obsessed with it. We continue to read it chapter by chapter, over and over again each night. She runs around the house and back yard pretending to be Marigold and Dragonfly, and she has demanded a peacock feather wand and a fairy handbook. After doing some research on this series, I have discovered that the pages of a fairy handbook appear blank to ordinary people, so it was easy to buy a blank journal and print a label for the cover. Now, she writes in her fairy handbook daily with crayons, usually 3 giant words per page, and draws pictures of butterflies and fairies. Having almost memorized this book, I am looking forward to the day whan she can read it on her own. I recommend Marigold and the Feather of Hope to any parent of a fairy princess with a word of warning - this story can be addictive.

As a fairy lover and dachshund owner, I feel this book was written specifically for me. The author has found a charming way to work fairy lore into real life. I am especially delighted to discover exactly what gremlins are afraid of: stainless steel, vacuum cleaners, and dachshunds. Now, when I have a run of bad luck with things breaking, I know to step up my vacuuming and give my dachshund free run of the house. The girls in this story are very independent and courageous and are great role models for youngsters. A wonderful book for all ages.