Marigold Emberbright is trying—really, truly trying—not to cause magical disasters before breakfast. But when a pepper‑dragon shaker erupts in glittery chaos, her sneeze accidentally summons a chaos spirit… and he arrives with a contract she definitely never signed. Fizzwhistle—spark‑happy, button‑vested, and catastrophically enthusiastic—brings three magical boons that Marigold must use whether she wants to or not. Suddenly mushrooms are marching, the pantry has opinions, and the Whisperwood is rustling with warnings no one will explain. Even worse, something ancient beneath the world has begun to stir… something the Vault fears, the forest remembers, and Fizzwhistle refuses to talk about. With her responsible older sister panicking, her parents away on magical errands, and a chaos spirit cheerfully making everything worse, Marigold is swept into a whirlwind of runaway magic and enchanted mishaps. But beneath the mayhem lies a truth she’s spent her whole life trying to avoid: Maybe she isn’t the girl who ruins everything. Maybe she’s the girl who can save it. As Marigold confronts unpredictable magic, unexpected friendships, and the spark inside her she’s always been afraid to trust, she begins a journey that will change not just her fate—but the fate of the Realm itself. Full of laugh‑out‑loud humor, heartfelt family moments, and a world bursting with whimsical magic, The Misadventures of Marigold Emberbright is perfect for fans of Nevermoor , Witchlings , and Amari and the Night Brothers . A warm, chaotic, and unforgettable adventure where even a sneeze can rewrite your destiny. When I first met Marigold Emberbright, she wasn't trying to be the hero of a story. She was just a girl doing her best — trying not to sneeze at the wrong moment, trying not to make a mess of things, trying not to take up more space than she thought she deserved. I recognized her immediately. Maybe you will too. I wrote this book for every kid (and every grown‑up) who has ever felt like they were "too much" — too loud, too sensitive, too imaginative, too chaotic, too different. Marigold's magic is messy, unpredictable, and inconvenient... and also brave, bright, and world‑shifting. That tension is the heart of her journey, and it's one I think many of us carry quietly. As you wander through Pumpernickel Hollow — past the opinionated kitchenware, the restless Whisperwood, and the Realm of Misplaced Things — I hope you find something that feels like home. A spark. A laugh. A reminder that your magic, however unruly, is worth celebrating. Thank you for opening this book. Thank you for giving Marigold room to sneeze, stumble, and shine. I'm honored to share her misadventures with you. — E.R. Valdez Some girls discover their magic slowly. Marigold Emberbright discovers hers by sneezing a chaos spirit into her family kitchen. Marigold has always tried to be careful — careful with her hands, careful with her magic, careful not to cause the kind of trouble that seems to follow her like a determined duck. But when a temperamental pepper shaker misbehaves and a sneeze summons Fizzwhistle, a sparkly, contract‑wielding chaos spirit, "careful" becomes impossible. Suddenly Marigold is the reluctant recipient of three unpredictable magical boons , each more disastrous than the last. Mushrooms unionize. Kitchenware develops opinions. The Whisperwood rustles with warnings. And far beneath the world, something ancient stirs — something the Realm hoped it had forgotten. As Marigold tries to undo the mess she never meant to make, she uncovers a secret threaded through her family, her magic, and the world itself. A secret that suggests her "too much" might be exactly what the Realm needs. With the help of her responsible older sister, a goose with prophetic instincts, and a chaos spirit who really shouldn't be in charge of anything, Marigold must decide whether she'll keep trying to be small... or step into the magic that's been waiting for her all along. Whimsical, heartfelt, and wildly imaginative, The Misadventures of Marigold Emberbright is a story for every kid who's ever felt like they take up too much space — and every grown‑up who remembers what it was like to be one sneeze away from disaster. Magic shouldn't start with a sneeze... but Marigold Emberbright's always does. Marigold tries her hardest to be careful — careful with her hands, careful with her magic, careful not to cause the kind of trouble that seems to bloom around her like dandelions in spring. But when a temperamental pepper shaker misbehaves and a sneeze summons Fizzwhistle, a glitter‑happy chaos spirit with a legally binding contract, "careful" becomes impossible. Suddenly Marigold is stuck with three unpredictable magical boons , each more disastrous than the last. Mushrooms unionize. Kitchenware develops opinions. The Whisperwood rustles with warnings. And far beneath the world, something ancient stirs — something the Realm hoped it had forgotten. As Marigol