Pure Dead Brilliant (Book 2 in The Strega-Borgia series) by Debi Gliori
01/06/2003 . Source: Sue Davies 
pub: Doubleday. 315 page hardback. Price: £10.99 (UK). ISBN: 0-385-60252-9. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website(s): www.kidsatrandomhouse.co.uk All is not well in the household of the Strega-Borgia family. The teenage mum is not managing her child very well. The fact that she's a dragon is neither here nor there. The resident Yeti stinks and seems to keep a remarkable amount of its previous meals just hanging around. Titus, the son of the household, is about to reach thirteen and inherit his grandfather's money and sister Pandora hates him for it.  Just to confuse matters further, the trainee witch of the household, Signora Baci Strega-Borgia, has invited half her class to stay. Nanny McLachlan just has to keep her eye on Damp because the two-year-old sister of Titus and Pandora appears to have some latent magical talents.
Nanny decides to seek help from the 'library'. On top of all this, somebody is about to come and collect an outstanding debt and she is sporting a matching set of cloven hooves. All in all, the family are in quite a lot of trouble and it is up to Pandora and Titus to try and sort it out. This novel, aimed firmly at the 'Harry Potter' market, hits the right note with its humour and backchat between siblings. Despite everything and against other books of its type there is a happy ending where nobody gets hurt - well, hardly anybody. It is the third of three about the Strega-Borgias by Debi Gliori. She has captured the angst of having embarrassing parents but also looks at how glorious it can be in a family where everyone has their own peculiar talent and role to play. There is something in this book for both boys and girls. There are lots of great characters including Tarantella the tarantula who suffers major injury and has to be operated on by one of the family rats. When she refuses the brandy offered as an anaesthetic, he decides that knocking her out with it is just as effective. There is plenty of knockabout action and some time travel as well. There are also mythical creatures and a few pertinent comments about the joys of motherhood that might just give the pre-teenage girls cause to think twice! The book comes in a strokeable velvety hard back cover and has good sized print for the young reader and ones like me that are having to hold books closer every day. You might like to start with the first of the series 'Pure Dead Magic' but this one works a standalone. It's an easy read and you can always say you bought it for the kids. I like the way the librarian is a centaur called Alpha - yes, it's that sort of book. Sue Davies 
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