The image of Mom sitting with her back to the door jamb, her profile silhouetted against the hall light, reading a chapter to us before bed is one of those nostalgic childhood memories that I will always treasure. Little Women, Where the Red Fern Grows, The Wednesday Witch, The Jungle Book, The Adventures of a Brownie … she read them all with distinct voices for each character that would have impressed Robin Williams. But some of my very favorites were the fantasy novels of George MacDonald, beloved from both her childhood and my grandmother’s.

George MacDonald was a Scottish Victorian, whose degree in chemistry and physics was certainly an unusual start for the man now regarded as a pioneer and founding father of modern fantasy. A world-renown novelist, poet, and minister, MacDonald was accomplished in realistic and fantasy novels for both adults and children.

He is credited as being an immense inspiration for both Lewis Carroll and C. S. Lewis in their writings, so in addition to his own classics, we have him to thank for beloved stories like Alice in Wonderland and The Chronicles of Narnia. Upon reading his bildungsroman novel Phantastes, published in 1858, C. S. Lewis later wrote in Surprised by Joy that it “baptized” his imagination and constituted a major turning point in his life.

While I personally did not connect with Phantastes — or Lilith, two dream-like, adult fantasy novels — on quite that level, The Curate’s Awakening is one of my favorites. A realistic Victorian novel and the first of a trilogy, it follows the story of a curate in a small town who is challenged to come to terms with the reality of his personal beliefs. Side plots and a disparate cast of characters address themes such as the juxtaposition of a person’s external appearance with their inner self, the moral ambiguity of what to do when a beloved family member commits a crime, and the inherent integrity and imperative of examining one’s beliefs.

I have long subscribed to C. S. Lewis’ sentiment that “a children’s story which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story” and in that vein have returned to my favorites of MacDonald’s children’s fiction again and again as an adult. He wrote numerous novels and short stories for younger readers, but my two favorites are At the Back of the North Wind and The Princess and the Goblin.

At the Back of the North Wind is the tale of a little boy named Diamond who is the son of a coachman and sleeps in a hayloft above his namesake — his father’s favorite horse. One night, the wind keeps blowing through a small hole in the wall, and nothing Diamond does can prevent it. Suddenly introduced as a beautiful lady, the North Wind begins to speak with him, and Diamond begins his adventures of traveling with the North Wind in the nights, situated behind her in a nest woven out of her long dark hair. Eventually he travels with her to her country in the far north, blown together by the South Wind, and there encounters the land of paradise from Greek mythology believed to be at the North Wind’s back. It is an incredibly complex novel, making topics as advanced as metaphysics relatable to children, and yet is simple enough to be enjoyed by a 5 year old.

The Princess and the Goblin is a tale of adventure and of the complexity of trust and belief in human relationships. Young Princess Irene lives in a castle in the middle of a mountainous kingdom ruled by her father but threatened by the malicious goblins below ground. A magical, secret great-great-grandmother, who lives in the castle tower, and a miner boy named Curdie, who learns the mystery for staying safe from goblins, adds to the enchantment. MacDonald also wrote a charming sequel I enjoy just as much entitled The Princess and Curdie.

MacDonald is among the few writers who can be said to have something for nearly everyone, so whether you prefer fantasy or realism, children’s or adult fiction, poetry or theology, give him a try for your next pick!