The Princess and the Goblin

From the influential Scottish novelist George MacDonald comes The Princess and the Goblin, a children's fantasy filled with courage and inner strength. MacDonald, a Christian minister, began publishing his work in 1863. His goal was to take children's fantasy stories and turn them into faith-based lessons that children would enjoy reading. He is regarded as the founding father of the fantasy genre we know today, but also as a prominent literary figure who has inspired many other famous authors, such as C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, and Mark Twain. The Princess and the Goblin features a young motherless princess whose father, the king, is away most of the time, leaving her to live alone in the castle. Her only friend is her nursemaid, Lootie. One day, as she is exploring the castle, Princess Irene finds a beautiful lady who asks Irene to call her great-great-grandmother. After this, Irene begins to grow more curious about life outside the castle. She persuades Lootie into playing outside, but when the sun goes down, they are attacked and chased by goblins. Curdie, a young miner boy, rescues them, and soon becomes Irene's only real friend. With the magic that her great-great-grandmother bestows onto her and the befriending of Curdie, who knows of the goblins' evil plans, Irene is whisked away into an adventure like she's never had before. The Princess and the Goblin is filled with effortless symbolism, classic fantasy elements, and a beautiful story that will inspire both children and adults to bring more faith into their lives.