Charles Dickens 
Magic Fishbone: A Holiday Romance from The Pen of Miss Alice Rainbird Aged 7 

The Magic Fishbone, alternatively titled Romance From the pen of Miss Alice Rainbird Aged Seven, is a parable, a satirical fairy tale reminding us to not be too quick to rely on magical solutions to lifes discomforts. It was published in Dickens collection, Holiday Romance (1868). This is the extraordinary story of a very ordinary princess named Alicia. Given a magic fish-bone by a good fairy, Alicia can have whatever she wishes, provided she wishes for it at the right time. But its never clear when the right time is, and sometimes the best magic is no magic at all. This funny and unexpectedly touching tale reveals a Victorian world that existed only in the mind of a child. The book perfectly blends the gifts of one of the worlds favorite storytellers with those of a great American illustrator. Readers are certain to be captivated by the tale of a king whose only riches lie in his children.