Quite possibly one of the best children's novels ever written, The Princess and the Goblin By George MacDonald is a masterpiece of fantasy, weaving themes of courage and honor with adventure and fantastic narrative. 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.