Pure Dead Brilliant [Hardcover]

Debi Gliori (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2003

A third outing for the highly original, madcap, magical Strega- Borgia family. There's trouble brewing at StregaSchloss! When Signora Strega-Borgia invites some would-be witches to stay, weird things begin to happen. Pandora can't resist the temptation of time travel - and Titus picks up a strange, and deadly, computer virus. Are they falling under the witches' spell? Or is the ghost of the Strega-Borgias' past coming back to haunt them all...?

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

As they say in Glasgow, you'd have to be a right numpty not to rejoice at a third book in Debi Gliori's delicious Pure Dead comedy adventures. Things are in a turmoil, as usual, at StregaSchloss, the ancestral castle of the Strega-Borgias in Argyll: Titus and his sister Pandora are at odds because their grandfather, Don Chimera di Carne Borgia, known as il grande parmigiano, or "the big cheese," is about to make Titus the sole heir of the family fortune; Signora Strega-Borgia has invited her flaky classmates at the Institute of Advanced Witchcraft to spend a week at the castle practicing their spells; Ffup, one of the house dragons, is sulking about her diaper-changing responsibilities as a teenage single mom; and grouchy Marie Bain, possibly the worst cook in the British Isles, has created an accidental specialty of kippers in raisin and rat pee sauce. Worst of all, word has gotten around in demonic circles that the long-lost Chronostone is secreted someplace in the castle, and the sinister Astoroth, Second Minister of the Hadean Executive, is hot on its trail, as is another demon, Flamma d'Infer, who is disguised as one of the apprentice witches. Events take a decidedly random turn when the family's wise and comfortable magical nanny, Mrs. McLachlan, discovers that the baby Damp is an infant magus. And that's only the beginning of this gothic romp that can only be described as, well, pure dead brilliant. (Ages 10 to 14) --Patty Campbell --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Young readers will be "dying fain" at the arrival of the third installment of the zany adventures of the Strega-Borgia clan. Young Titus is about to inherit a massive fortune from his mafioso grandfather, and his family won't leave him alone. Between their mother's witchy houseguests-one of whom might well be plotting evil-and a definitely evil uncle's nefarious plans to get the fortune for himself, the Strega-Borgias barely have time to breathe, and the Beasts in residence are once again in rare form. Gliori's excellent turn of phrase and sense of humor will instantly draw readers into the mystical world of Strega Schloss and its inhabitants. Readers will roar as each page turns and new, even more preposterous scenarios arise. The "Gliossary" in the back is also a helpful touch for the wee laddies and lassies new to Scottish slang. Filled with fun phrasing and plenty of scatological bits thrown in for good measure, the story is sure to be popular with fans of the first two outings.
Elaine Baran Black, Gwinnett County Public Library, Lawrenceville, GA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 322 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Juvenile (April 3, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385602529
• ISBN-13: 978-0385602525
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,348,750 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Where was her editor?, November 21, 2003

By 

B. Claypole White (Hillsborough, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pure Dead Brilliant (Hardcover)

My son (nearly 9) and I consumed Pure Dead Magic and Pure Dead Wicked! We were so excited to discover Pure Dead Brilliant was coming out that I pre-ordered it in hard back (something I never do). Unfortunately we barely made it through a hundred pages. Ms Gliori is, indeed, brilliant (!) but we had two major problems with this book. It's darker than the others in the series (too dark for a 9 year old?) and, despite the wonderful characters, is horribly over written. Where was her editor! The long flowery sentences, packed with adjectives and adverbs, killed the humour and our interest in the plot. I struggled to read them, and my son struggled to listen. It seemed every few minutes one of us was saying "wait a minute, what was that?" Or, in our less intellectual moments, "huh?" Finally we gave up. Despite the $18. And went back to The Roman Mysteries series by Caroline Lawrence, with hugh sighs of relief.

4.0 out of 5 stars Delightful, June 8, 2007

By 

can't live without books (NJ, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pure Dead Brilliant (Paperback)

Somewhere between the Adams Family and the Munsters meets Harry Potter lies the wonderfull world of the Pure Dead Magic series. Fun and imaginative. I haven't been a kid in quite a while and I still enjoyed the stories, the people, and the creatures in this unlikely corner of Scotland!

4.0 out of 5 stars Great!, June 23, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Pure Dead Brilliant (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this, and i think it was the best in the series! I loved it!