Brimming with dragons, goblins, and logic puzzles, this middle-grade fantasy adventure is perfect for readers who enjoyed "The Princess Bride" or "Rump." THE BOY is a nameless slave on a mission to uncover his true destiny. THE GOBLIN holds all the answers, but he s too tricky to be trusted. PLAIN ALICE is a bookish peasant girl carried off by a confused dragon. And PRINCESS ALICE is the lucky girl who "wasn t" kidnapped. All four are tangled up in a sinister plot to take over the kingdom, and together they must face kind monsters, a cruel magician, and dozens of deathly boring palace bureaucrats. They re a ragtag bunch, but with strength, courage, and plenty of deductive reasoning, they just might outwit the villains and crack the goblin s puzzle. An adventure bursting with wit and charm.

The characters are fresh, the story is thrilling, and the puzzles are downright diabolical. A wonderful book. Jonathan Auxier, author of"The Night Gardener" and" Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes" Brimming with sarcastic, cheeky, laugh-out-loud humor, this is a smart, original, and completely engaging adventure. " School Library Journal, "starred review".