The Princess and Curdie

Curdie is a brave boy who works in a mine and can talk to animals after eating a magic flower from a wise old lady who is Princess Irene's grandma. The grandma sends him to a big city to save the king from bad guys who act nice but are really like sneaky animals inside. Curdie uses his special power to shake hands and feel their meanness, teams up with a girl named Lona, fights scary monsters with a magic spoon, and helps the good people win so everyone can be happy and honest again.

In 'The Princess and Curdie,' George MacDonald crafts a fantastical sequel where young miner Curdie, having previously aided Princess Irene against goblins, receives enhanced spiritual gifts from Irene's enigmatic great-great-grandmother. Eating a magical crimson fire-rose grants Curdie the ability to discern the true moral character of people through their hands, revealing inner beasts in the corrupt. Dispatched to the decaying city of Gwyntystorm, Curdie infiltrates the royal palace amid political intrigue, allying with the faithful servant Lona and her miner father, to combat the king's wicked advisors who embody avarice and deceit. As beasts overrun the palace during a siege, Curdie wields a simple pewter spoon as a divinely empowered weapon, slaying manifestations of vice and exposing traitors like the scheming Dr. Faber and Chamberlain. Through trials of obedience, courage, and purity, Curdie restores the king, redeems the city, and affirms the triumph of spiritual insight over worldly corruption. MacDonald's narrative weaves Christian allegory with fairy-tale wonder, emphasizing transformation through moral vigilance in a richly symbolic Victorian-inspired realm.