The novel begins when siblings Gerald, James and Kathleen are required to spend their summer holiday in a boarding school, due to unfortunate events at home and are consequently left under the supervision of a French schoolmistress. The children seem to be sentenced to a summer of utter boredom, however, one day the children decide to explore the neighboring countryside in hopes of bringing excitement to their otherwise monotonous routine. During their time outside they stumble upon a secret passageway and follow its trail. When they emerge from the tunnel, they are engulfed by a castle situated in an elaborate garden, where they also meet a young girl Mabel, who declares she is a princess. Furthermore, Mabel claims that the castle is full of magic and leads them inside to show them its treasures, which includes a plain metal ring which supposedly causes invisibility. Naturally the children are skeptical and it is not until the ring actually does work and makes Mabel invisible, that they are swayed to believe the contrary. The four children panic and Mabel confesses that the country estate is not an enchanted castle and that she is simply the housekeeper’s niece, and not a princess. However what seemed to be an innocent game of dress-up takes a turn of events as the group get thrown into a magical frenzy indicating the beginning of their exciting adventures and a step away from their expected mundane summer.

Nesbit cleverly depicts the notion that one should be careful of what they wish for, because it just may come true, but never without a price. An engrossing tale of magic, fantasy, humor, and adventurous mishaps blended in an utmost imaginative way, the novel has remained a favorite children’s classic which has stood the test of time.