PRINCESS AND CURDIE - George MacDonald

Curdie has a strange gift: he can tell who anybody is by reading their hands. But he's not sure what good that is when the kingdom starts falling apart. Along with his trusty monster, he must decide what to believe, who to help, and who to fight when the king grows mysteriously sick and the princess is helpless. Sequel to the classic fantasy The Princess and the Goblin, The Princess and Curdie is a clever fable of falsehood versus truth and appearance versus reality. "I have never concealed the fact that I regarded MacDonald] as my master; indeed I fancy I have never written a book in which I did not quote from him."

C. S. Lewis

"It is a striking indication of the trend and shallowness of the modern reading public that George MacDonald's books have been so neglected."

Oswald Chambers