The Vampire of Verdonia

by Miranda Seymour

When Sarah Jane, a little girl who is tired of being so good, meets Princess Louisa, daughter of the King of Verdonia, she discovers the delights of the criminal life and faces dinner with Count Dracula--but then discovers she is the main course.

Genres: Fantasy

112 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1987

Reviews

[Emmy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun little book. The story-line itself was clever and I think would appeal to children, especially those who are hungry for something new and different, and who aren't just reading the popular titles that all their peers are reading. I liked the characters, who were creative and interesting, even though some of the situations did not seem plausible to me. For example, why would Sarah Jane's parents allow her aunts to beat her? They know that sending her upstairs with buttered toast is going to leave her black and blue. One of them should go up to deliver the toast, or put a stop to it once and for all!.

The dialogue was...interesting. By that I mean, I'm not sure how I felt about parts of it. Rumbold's habit of referring to Sarah Jane constantly as "mistress mine" always felt sarcastic, even though I don't think it was meant to be (and it got annoying after a while). And the random bouts of rhyming verse always felt weird and out of place. (Read it and you'll know what I mean).

My other complaint was Dracula. I had picked this up because of him, and was disappointed that he didn't play more of a role. It sounds like he's going to be a major player, but he crops up for a scene or two, and then that's the end of it.

Still, for all its faults, I thought the book was clever and creative, had a satisfying conclusion, and I loved the illustrations.

[Moonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS book ignited my love for reading. I read this when I was younger, thanks to my dad who had bought it from a library book sale, and a few pages were even missing, but I still remember how much I loved the atmosphere, the town where Sarah Jane lived, the characters and last but not least the plot! It was so entertaining, unique and the writing style was perfect. The description of Sarah Jane's life was interesting to read about. I also enjoyed the illustrations. I still have my copy which I cherish but I really want to find and buy a new one with all the pages in tact so I can re-read the full book.

Note: I wrote a short review of this in 2019 when I added it on GoodReads but somehow I deleted this from my bookshelf and it deleted my review so the above review is a rewritten version, I tried to remember my original one and make my review as similar to that because I think it perfectly summarised my thoughts, but my current review will have to do.

[Moonie · Rating 4 out of 5]

THIS book ignited my love and passion for reading but it most definitely didn't have this cover, mine (yes I still have it after all these years) was a hardcover with a purple roof. I think my dad had bought it from a library sale. My copy has MISSING PAGES but I still finished this book with so much love for it. I also remember enjoying the illustrations. Reading about this town as a child was soooo fun and interesting.

[Cheryl]

The copy we found in the Friends of the Library was produced by Andre Deutsch in London. Same ISBN though.