As with the editor, I picked up this book because C. S. Lewis cited MacDonald as his favorite author and mentor. While there are aspects of MacDonald's writing that one can see in Lewis's fiction (innocent but wise children, Christological symbology), MacDonald has "dated" in a way Lewis has not (yet, anyway).
This volume is a further abridged and edited version of an abridged and edited version of MacDonald's original (as the editor says, no one today is going to read a 400 page novel written in heavy Scots dialect).
I had hoped to give this to my grandchildren, but the story is an odd conjunction of inspirational characters (who would be far too "sweet" for today's youth but might pass muster with naïve younger children), and sordid situations of adult life (drunkenness, violence, class snobbery, hypocrisy) more suitable for juniors or teens - who would totally not accept the saccharinity.
For adults interested in MacDonald, the book is okay, but it is not going to be a big "draw" for young readers. ( )