VOYA
- Ruth Cox Clark
The eccentric Strega-Borgia family is in a funk in this fifth title of the Drop Dead series. Mrs. McLachlan, their beloved nanny, has disappeared. Because of a "tip" from the unhappy French cook who is being paid off by Luciano's evil twin brother, Lucifer, Luciano is framed for Mrs. McLachlan's murder. Baci, Luciano's very pregnant wife, is too grief stricken to pay much attention to how the situation is affecting her three children, Titus, Pandora, and toddler Damp. Latch, the butler, and the nonhuman extended family members step, crawl, and drop in to take her place. A lipstick-wearing sarcastic mother spider, a pregnant dragon that spurts fire from both ends, and a ditzy bat are just a few of the creatures that wander the hallways and dungeons of the remote Scottish estate of StregaSchloss. But photographic messages mysteriously appear on the film that Pandora is developing-messages from Mrs. McLachlan, who is not dead but caught between worlds when she tries to dispose of the deadly Chronostone. It may be up to little Damp, the most magical Strega-Borgia, and Vesper, her bat familiar, to rescue Mrs. McLachlan and save Luciano. This installment is a wonderfully delightful romp with a zany family whose members clearly love each other, human and nonhuman alike. Having read previous titles in the series would add depth to the background story, but the book stands alone as a witty and amusing fantasy for tween and younger teen readers. Offer this one to Lemony Snicket fans.
Children's Literature
- Trina Heidt
Titus, Pandora, and Damp Strega-Borgia are depressed and in denial, to say the least. Their beloved nanny, Mrs. McLachlan, has mysteriously disappeared; their father, Luciano, has been imprisoned, falsely accused of several murders; and their wanna-be-a-witch mother, Baci is gestating a fourth Strega-Borgia and is as flaky as ever. Even though they are surrounded by their protective extended family of various talking beasts and Latch, their devoted butler, the eccentric children of the remote Scottish estate, StreggaSchloss, remain inconsolable as the days drag on. It is not until strange signs begin to appear that the children are jolted out of their hopelessness to try to solve the mystery of their missing nanny. Filled with magic, mayhem, and quite a lot of off-beat humor, readers will find themselves pulled into the fray and unable not to like this quirky family. Even though this is the fifth title in the "Pure Dead" series, it can be read out of order as a stand alone, though readers would have a more complete understanding of the family's history if the others in the series were read first. A note to parents who may be concerned about such things: this book is full of magical beings and some demons. There is a secondary character named S'tan, portrayed comically and mostly as a spoiled, overgrown child. There is also a very brief scene mentioning a satanic ritual.
School Library Journal
Gr 4-7-In this latest installment in the series, the madness and the antics are as crazed as ever. This time the Strega-Borgia children's father has been framed for murder by his evil half brother, Lucifer Di S'Embowelli Borgia. The family is trying to find a way to prove his innocence all the while coping with the loss of their beloved nanny. The story is definitely difficult to follow for those who haven't read the previous volumes, but for fans of the series, there are many resolutions and answers to cliff-hangers left from the earlier books. This series is perfect for fantasy readers who want humor with their magic. Adults will be reminded of the Addams family with the collection of strange animals and the Strega-Borgias' blithe acceptance of the strange, but therein lies the secret of its success.-Saleena L. Davidson, South Brunswick Public Library, Monmouth Junction, NJ Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews
Good prevails, malice gets a proper-often terminal-comeuppance and characters come back from the incompletely dead in this latest tale featuring the closely knit but harum-scarum Strega-Borgia clan and its assorted nonhuman hangers-on. The daily chaos continues amid a welter of spectacularly destructive mishaps and gross alimentary eruptions. Even as gentle paterfamilias Luciano is being carted off to prison as a mass murderer in the latest ploy from his crazed Mafioso half-brother, the twin pregnancies of Luciano's ditzy wife Baci and Ffup the dragon, a scaly diva ("I. Don't. Do. Carbs. Ever.") with a tendency to blow flames from both ends, provide emotional roller coasters for the three (soon to be four) Strega-Borgia siblings. And with visits to Heaven, Hell and a few places in-between, beloved nanny/witch Flora McLachlan continues her efforts to keep the incredibly dangerous Chronostone out of the clutches of S'tan, First Minister of the Hadean Executive. Despite the author's near-continual attempts to fill in the background, readers unfamiliar with the previous three episodes are likely to flounder amid this tangle of ongoing subplots, but anyone with a taste for wild farce anchored by a loving family will be enraptured. (Fantasy. 11-13)
