Pure Dead Wicked [Hardcover]

Debi Gliori (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Pure Dead

Just when the Strega-Borgias think it’s safe to relax in their ancestral castle . . . it isn’t.
First their roof collapses, forcing them into the Auchenlochtermuchty Arms–the only local hotel that will accomodate three mythical beasts and one crocodile. Then Titus accidentally creates 500 tiny naked pink clones. And 500 tiny naked pink clones are not easy to manage. But not surprisingly, this isn’t the biggest Strega-Borgia dilemma–there’s also a few evil contractors plotting to destroy their home forever. Perhaps the miniature kilted warriors arising from the spilled magic potion can help. . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Debi Gliori follows up the darkly humorous Pure Dead Magic with Pure Dead Wicked. This time around, the Strega-Borgia family must take up residence in the Auchenlochtermuchty Arms after their roof collapses, and the reconstruction crew conspires to destroy rather than repair their home. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-Titus, 12; his sister Pandora, 10; and baby Damp are back in this sequel to Pure Dead Magic (Knopf, 2001). This time, their beloved ancestral home is under siege by an unscrupulous roofer and his real-estate developer friends. The Strega-Borgias are forced to move to the Auchenlochtermuchty Arms while the workman proceeds to divest their home of its roof tiles and deposit them in a nearby loch. In the end, but with much going on in between, StregaSchloss is saved, and the family has their home back. Gliori has created another fantasy romp, complete with computer-generated clones of Titus and Pandora, evil businessmen bent on developing suburban Scotland, and a dragon laying an egg. While the characters are stock, the story will make children roar with laughter. There is the prerequisite humor for this age group including a rather unclean yeti and baby Damp's preoccupation with flushing the mail down the toilet. For those who appreciated the first book, this installment will not disappoint.
Lynn Evarts, Sauk Prairie High School, Prairie du Sac, WI
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (August 27, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0375814116
• ISBN-13: 978-0375814112
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,823,958 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Wicked" fun, October 12, 2002

By 

E. A Solinas "ea_solinas" (MD USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Pure Dead Wicked (Hardcover)

In "Pure Dead Magic," Deb Gliori introduced us to the eccentric Strega-Borgia family in an ancestral Scottish castle, StregaSchloss. Now she takes their story a few steps further, in a hotel stay and house repair difficulty bad enough to induce cold sweats in the middle of the night. It's a charming sequel with the same quirky cast and unabashed low humor, and kids will love it.

The roof of StregaSchloss is not just leaking, but falling off. After a slate demolishes the family car and a deluge of water destroys the library, Signor Strega-Borgia moves the family out to a hotel until the problem can be rectified. Unfortunately, the family not only includes his wife, his kids Titus Pandora and Damp, and the family nurse, but also the pet dragon, griffin, yeti and crocodile. (The cryogenically frozen grandmother, the spider, and the rats all stay behind)

Mayhem begins immediately. A desperate real estate dealer begins trying to persuade Signor Strega-Borgia to sell the castle to him (so he can "develop" the area), and the predatory owner of the hotel, Mrs. Froves-Campbell, tries to seduce him. The pets cause assorted problems. The roof of StregaSchloss vanishes, prompting the horrified Signor Strega-Borgia to sell. And Titus cooks up a scheme to clone himself and Pandroa -- except instead of two full-sized clones, he accidently creates hundreds of tiny ones. With an army of unruly clones, a decaying castle, a pregnant dragon, a murderous hotel owner, and a tiny jar of vanishing cream, Pandora and Titus definitely have their hands full.

Gliori manages to sidestep one of the major flaws of many sequels, which is making the sequel too much like the first. "Wicked" is quite different from "Magic," while retaining the elements that made the first book endearing: a mix of magic and technology, a grandmotherly witch, gross-out hijinks and a pair of in-over-their-head kids.

The reactions of Pandora and Titus ("Our parents would kill us if they knew") to having 500 Mini-Mes running around the hotel are hilarious, and there is a note of poignancy when the clones begin to age. Kindly witch Mrs. McLachlan serves as a note of relative sanity, and the skin-and-fur-loving Mrs. Fforbes-Campbell will inspire disgust in readers from the start. And the pets/security system are given extra dimensions when forced to live in ordinary surroundings (and with the promise of new beastie problems in the next book).

Those who enjoyed the darkly quirky Strega-Borgia family in the first book will definitely like the second. A good read for this upcoming Halloween.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a treat!!, April 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Pure Dead Wicked (Hardcover)

My children (9 & 12) listened to this on tape and LOVED it. It's funny and intelligent, acccesible to children but full of jokes for adults as well. There's a little magic, a devoted family (and both parents are alive!) whose ancient castle (with Granny frozen in the freezer) is under attack by a villainous builder, Hugh Pylum Height, and a wild combination of the new (laptops) and the old (Nanny) to ensure that all will end happily. How can you resist a book with a baby named Damp, a son who conjures up tiny clones who won't behave, and a pet Yeti who takes direct action against the villains?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertainment for all ages, September 20, 2002

By 

Moe811 (New York USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Pure Dead Wicked (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my nephews, and decided to read it before giving it away. The Strega Borgia family is even funnier than ever in this book. Their tumble down castle's roof is falling in and they have to move out so that the contractors can work. Little do they know that the evil contractor want to buy the castle cheap, so that he can build a cheap housing development. He and his crew do their best to destroy the castle. The family has to live in an hotel in the nearby village. The dragon, crocodile, yeti and griffin aren't exactly welcome. The proprietress has designs on Luciano, and Titus is using his computer to make clones. Pandora is upset about leaving Multitudina and Tarantella behind. Then, there is the mystery of the Strega Borgia diamond.

This is a really great book for both children and adults. It makes bedtime stories a little more fun for everyone.