What’s a fairy tale with a princess without a happy ever after? I loved this story for its combination of fairy tale and paranormal but then I really thought about it. What classical fairy tales have I read that didn’t have an element of the paranormal? And how many of them don’t have underlying messages to teach us a valuable lesson? This story is chock full of the lessons in life. Just one of which is the measure of beauty that we see through the eyes of Roland.Fairy tales allow kids to learn to suspend their beliefs and truly imagine another world. The characters in The Underground Princess are truly engaging and lovable. I fell in love with Scarlet from the get go. At first she seemed like a bratty little princess that wanted things her way and darn the consequences but as the story progresses you see her grow and mature. You see her eyes open to the fact that what’s on the other side of the fence isn’t always as green as what’s right in front of your face.

When I was young it seemed that all the books I was given to read were unisex or male centered. I loved the fairy tales my parents read to me at bed time but they weren’t written for the beginning reader to read on their own. When my own children began to read I went out of my way to find them books that would appeal to their gender and interests. I wanted books that would stretch and flex their imaginations. I’m a firm believer that asking “what if?” and using your imagination are the mothers of invention. Some would argue for necessity but without our imagination we wouldn’t be able to envision a solution. So when I share a story like this one with my children and grandchildren I know I am opening their own imaginations and helping them to look for solutions in life.

Besides our princess this story has a loving father, protective pirate knight, faithful pet, evil villain, deceitful prince and sleeping savior. All of the characters were engaging. The illustrations were wonderful and age appropriate. I can’t wait to share this story and the rest of the series with my granddaughters. I would highly recommend it to other parents for their young readers.

This book was given to me for an honest review.

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The Balderdash Saga Series Order:
The Underground Princess, Book 1

The Prince’s Plight, Book 2

The Shaman’s Salvation, Book 3

Short Stories featuring Balderdash characters:
Roland the Pirate Knight

Hurlock the Warrior King