PURE DEAD MAGIC by Debi Gliori
Doubleday (Transworld) - September 2001
ISBN 0385601549 - Hardback
Comedy / Horror - Ages 9 - 12
Contemporary - Scottish Highlands and Italy

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde, MyShelf.com
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Take a generous helping of the Addams Family, stir in a measure of Mary Poppins, a sprinkle of Harry Potter and a lot of contemporary humor and you have Pure Dead Magic, a delightful Scottish/Italian romp. Young Titus, Pandora and aptly named Baby Damp are sadly missing their father as is their mother Signora Baci Strega-Borgia. Finding the ménage all too much for him he has stormed out and cannot be located. Could he be in Italy with his Mafioso half-brother Don Lucifer Di S'Embowelli Borgia, and if so what will his family's fate be? Can his children rescue him in time when they don't even believe that he has been kidnapped, and Titus wants to play his computer game Death & Destruction while Pandora tries out her mother's pack of disposawands?

This truly is a whole lot of fun, and is full of wry references to other fictional works (although it is perhaps doubtful that most children will pick up on many of these), disgusting happenings (which they are sure to love) and above all it has a modern feel, following in the footsteps of a lot of great fantasy. And who can resist a spider who wears lipstick, happily emailing herself to the rescue and finding herself on the World Wide Web? Great stuff!

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