One of MacDonald's smaller novels in length, and neither so ambitious of scope or depth, Home Again from 1887 is loosely based on the prodigal son parable. It is the oft-told tale of an ambitious young man who thinks too highly of himself, falls under the spell of a duplicitous young woman, and must find his way “home.” Though less complex than MacDonald’s lengthier novels, everything he wrote radiated light. Even in its simplicity, this story of a young poet and his return to his father and his roots has many touching moments, with MacDonald’s wisdom woven throughout the characters and relationships.

One of MacDonald's lengthy and powerful, but not widely studied, novels, Mary Marston is the only book in the MacDonald corpus with a woman featured in the title role. As one of MacDonald’s many strong and memorable leading ladies, Mary exemplifies a life of dedication to Christ, self-sacrifice, and obedience to parents. We encounter here a touching portrayal of that earthly relationship so dear to MacDonald's heart, because it so embodied man’s relationship with God—the relationship between fathers and their sons and daughters. Of the diverse range of characters found within the pages of this novel, Michael Phillips writes, “Taken together, their individual lives make fascinating reading. They are so diverse, sometimes so petty and foolish, their intertwining relationships so humorous at times…we observe human growth at work…always progressing in one direction or the other—sometimes straight, sometimes crooked. It is a diverse character mix in many shades of gray…containing diverse character flaws without easy resolutions. I find it one of the most real array of characters in the MacDonald corpus.”

One of the true high marks in George MacDonald's literary career was reached with the publication in 1879 of Sir Gibbie, the captivating story of a mute orphan with an angel's heart set in the highlands of Scotland. Every MacDonald reader has his or her favorite, but it is safe to say that Sir Gibbie is near the top of the list for lovers of fairy tale, poetry, and novels alike. The character of “wee Sir Gibbie” mysteriously embodies hints from the land of “faerie,” and his soul is poetry personified. MacDonald's storytelling genius here rises to heights as soaring as the mountain of Glashgar where Gibbie roams barefoot with the sheep, amid earthquake and flood. It was this book that captured authoress Elizabeth Yates’ imagination and prompted her 1963 edition of Sir Gibbie, which in turn led to Michael Phillips’s updated editions that inaugurated the MacDonald renaissance of the 1980s. If one could choose but one MacDonald novel to read, many would say it should be Sir Gibbie. Following Elizabeth Yates’ example, Michael Phillips again translates the difficult Doric dialect of MacDonald’s original into more accessible English.