Gideon lives in the village with his cruel father and tries to earn a bit of money by stealing ice from the palace ponds, which he then sells to the palace cook. One day he is spotted by the guards and chased. He escapes into the palace where he hides in the room of the little Duchess. She lives as a prisoner, never allowed to play with 'common' children, and with only a mechanical duchess for company. The little Duchess is eager to help Gideon escape - as long as she can run away with him, leaving the mechanical duchess in her place.

 

There are 144 pages in this book. This book was published 2005 by Hachette Children's Group .

Chris Fisher is well-known for his vivid, lively illustration style. He has illustrated over 40 titles for Walker Books, Hodder, Puffin, Scholastic and HarperCollins. Chris lives in Bristol. Susan Gates has written books for a very wide age range and is perhaps best-known for her Carnegie shortlisted title, RAIDER. Susan lives in County Durham.