Poor Princess Decomposia. Her father is unwell (or so he says), and she is taking care of everything for him. The problem? Her father is king of the Underworld and has a lot of responsibilities - so Dee is always meeting with visiting dignitaries, reading long letters and answering them, going over reports about various details of the kingdom, and catering to her father's every whim. When the royal chef leaves and Count Spatula (a vampire with a sweet-tooth), comes to interview for the job, Dee may have found a friend - if her father doesn't chase him off.
The black and white illustrations remind me of reading comics in the daily paper (not the fancy colored ones from the Sunday edition). Dee is easy to sympathize with and Count Spatula is very funny with his crazy recipes and his despair over the king's preference for "just add hot water" soup mix. The servants in the royal residence are a mix of zombies, skeletons, and other creatures drawn in such a funny way that they can't possibly scare anyone. This is the perfect book for young readers who want to have some of the characters they see older kids reading about, but don't want to have bad dreams later that night.
Recommended by: Suzanne Costner, Library Media Specialist, Tennessee USA
To see more of her recommendations: https://fveslibrary.blogspot.com
