This book, the first in a series, was a cute and quick read. Set in the Strega-Borgia family castle in Argyll, Scotland, complete with a moat and a dungeon, this dark comedic little romp begins when Signor Luciano has already deserted the family (unbeknownst to them, kidnapped) and Signora Baci(a student witch) tries to balance her studies and childcare duties by hiring another nanny to look after the children. Titus, the oldest, is a computer whiz, and Pandora enjoys caring for her pet rat Multitudina and her rat babies. They both tolerate their baby sister, Damp, who follows them around, but they don't care for nannies. Some other creepy "pets" round out the family: Ffup, a dragon; Sab, a gryphon; Knot, a yeti; Tock, a crocodile who lives in the moat; and Tarantella, Pandora's pet spider who lives in the attic.The nanny interviews are disastrous until lovely Mrs. McLaughlin (a secret witch) shows up and takes charge. She soon fits right in with the other servants Marie Bain, the cook, and Latch, the grumpy butler. One eventful day, Multitudina and her babies disappear, leaving Pandora in despair. She tears apart her room and Titus' room searching for them, much to Titus' disgust. It turns out the rats had gotten inside Titus' CD Rom computer drive and were accidentally emailed elsewhere. Later on, a similar circumstance befalls baby Damp, and Titus and Pandora are distraught with guilt/remorse for losing her.Meanwhile,we find out that Signor Luciano has been kidnapped by his evil half-brother, Don Lucifer, in the hopes that he will sign over the deed to Castle Strega-Borgia and the family fortune to him. Don Lucifer sends his top hit man, Pronto,and a few gun-toting associates over to the castle to assassinate the rest of the family. I won't ruin the rest of the story by giving away any more plot details, but hilarity ensues when the gangsters try to sneak into the castle. Obviously, since this is the first book in a series, a lot of emphasis was placed on introducing the characters and their quirky personalities, so there wasn't a whole lot of time left for plot development. However, I did enjoy this book, and I think 5th grade students would find it funny and entertaining. I am curious to learn more about this family, so I can't wait read the rest of books in the series.
Wild, crazy and over the top wacky!Debi Gliori must be a blast to know, if I base my opinion on this series anyway!What a cast of characters, it's a good thing there is a guide at the beginning of the book. I loved getting to know the Strega-Borgia clan; 10 year old Pandora, her 12 year old computer genius brother Titus and the baby, Damp; along with their parents Signor Luciano and Signora Baci Strega-Borgia.Oh, but don't forget the list of creatures that also call Castle Strega-Schloss home: My favorite - teenage dragon Ffup; Mythical Dungeon Beasts Sab and Knot; a rather large lipstick wielding tarantula Tarentella; an illiterate rat Multitudina, the mother to multitudes. There is even a many-great Grandmother Strega-Nonna who is wrapped in tinfoil, stored in the freezer, awaiting a cure for old age.And that's just the start of it.If you dare to pass the gate that reads, "Warning! Trespassers will be (a) served for breakfast,(via Tock, the guard crocodile) (b) turned into frogs, (courtesy of Signora Strega-Borgia, a witch in training)(c) forced to eat Brussels sprouts. (complements of Marie Bain, a most horrendous cook)", you will surely find yourself pulled into a rollicking adventure where the villains are truly over the top and nasty and where magic often goes awry.I believe the cover blurb says these books are a bit like mixing Harry Potter with The Series of Unfortunate Events. Place it all in Scotland and you've about got it.
What do You think about Pure Dead Magic (2002)?
This is easily the worst book I've read in recent memory. The premise seemed okay, and even interesting: Harry Potter meets Mary Poppins meets Lemony Snicket meets the Addams Family. But it was way too much and the author tried too hard. First, the language is too difficult for most nine-year-olds, who are the ideal audience. The YA crowd will not be interested by this, which is who it's marketed towards. Second, it was a crazy premise, but not funny at all. You can't have intentional crazy without the funny. Third, as mentioned above, the plot is just too insane: shrinking children getting stuck in a CD-ROM drive and emailed around? Please. It was a massive struggle to finish it.Unbelievably, the next novel in the series actually looks decent.
—george
It's hard to write a review on a kid's book because the writing has to be so much more simplistic than an adult or even a teen novel. However, I will try my best to be fair and address everything necessary.Characters:I found the characterization to be pretty great. Each character had not only a specific voice, but distinct characteristics as well. Since there were quite a few characters for such a small book, I consider this to be a great feat. Each character was easy to distinguish and they were all really enjoyable. I especially liked that the animals and pets had voices and personalities as well.Setting:The story mostly takes place in Scotland and Italy. These two places, while exotic and described with some detail, were not as fleshed out as I had hoped. The Strega-Schloss manor was described well when this did occur, but not enough. Since most kids won't stick around for a lot of detail, this is understandable, but as a mature reader, I would have liked to see more. (mature reader, ha)Plot:Well-developed and juvenile. The story was humorous at points which was cute, but it was sometimes overdone. Again, this is entirely based on intended audience versus me reading it. Obviously, most of the kids reading it would love all the crude and sometimes gross humor, but I found it juvenile. As for originality, it was interesting. Magic meets mafia. For such a small book, the story went along at an acceptable pace. It followed the basic structure of the story and I can't complain.For the moment, I think this is all I have to discuss. It was an enjoyable quick read and I will be reading the others in the series.
—Katie
My friend K loaned this to me a year ago, promising it was cute and fun, which it was. A little bit derivative, but not in a way most kids would pick up on. To me, it was basically like a Lemony Snicket book, but with computers. Three kids, the youngest still crawling and not talking with a funny name (Damp), get into some trouble, have parents who aren't much help, a funny nanny, and a lot of odd monsters as pets/guard dogs. They all (including the mother) think their father has left when in fact he's been kidnapped by his brother, a mafia don. The end result of the mobsters sent to kill the family was quite amusing, the nanny is excellent but unfortunately not used enough (in my opinion) and it's nice for once to have a fantasy book for middle readers where the protagonist children aren't orphans. The addition of computers might make this book a little more palatable for boys, although it's also aging the book quickly - a CD-rom drive figures significantly. There is always room on the shelf for a brief, amusing, middle grade book with a good lesson (don't fight with your siblings, don't try to feed every prospective nanny to the crocodile), decent action, and a happy family.
—Carin
