Pure Dead Magic (Unabridged and Dramatised) Audiobook

" The dust cover describes this book as "a cyber-gothic-gangster fantasy" which fits it pretty well. I see the book as Mary Poppins meets The Addams Family meets The Soprano's. The story begins in Scotland at the Strega Schloss with the Strega Borgia family interviewing Flora McLachlen, one of the many nannies who have interviewed at the Castle. This is the first book in the trilogy and centers on four themes. The children's father has been kidnapped, their mother is away studying to become a witch, their baby sister is shrunk and sent via an email onto the Web. Did I mention that there are gangster's trying to get into the castle and their grandma is beginning to thaw from the freezer? I was a little turned off by the hot toddy that was given to the children's mother by Flora McLachlen. I get that it was a way to tie up their mother for a few hours while she slept it off but why go and revisit their mother being drunk in later chapters? I give this two stars for the creativity lets face it those are a lot of themes to cover in one book. I was also intrigued by the authors description about how she came about the title and its meaning. Apparently "pure dead anything in Glaswegian" is a way of emphasizing your point. So, if asked "how do I look in this dress?" The reply could be "you look pure dead magic." "

" Kind of weird and really gross, but in a good way. It's Snicket + Harry Potter + some unnamed force. "

" Wasn't a bad read, but rather odd. Don't think I'll pick up the sequels, though. "

" My mother bought this book for me to keep me quiet on the long drive to France, and I fell in love with it straight away. This book got me into fantasy. "

" An absolutely fun read! The Strega-Borgia family is a new age Addams family with a bit of magic and witches thrown in. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series! "

" I got through a little over half of it and could no longer continue. Too many lame tongue-in-cheek jokes. The plot isn't easily followed, the whole thing seems really scattered. The characters are silly (and not in the good way.) I would not waste a child's time with this book when there are so many well-written stories out there. "

" ECK!!! I wouldn't let my future children read this book. "

" Reading this one aloud to Earl at night. A bit weird, but that's okay. You can't go wrong with a baby named "Damp." "

" i remeber my friend loving these... i think they are very similar to a series of unfortuneate events but i liked these books a bit more... "

" this book was pretty good and it was very funny, but a little gory, so don't read it if you get grossed out really easily. it reminded me of "a series of unfortunate events". "

" #3 read for the April 2010 Dewey's Read-a-thon. Very cute, the ad on the front that says it's Harry Potter meets Lemony Snicket is right on, and add a little bit of the Addams family as well! "

" Ugh. I couldn't wait to finish this one. Rather far fetched, and no tech savvy kid will fall for the premise of sending babies through the internet via the CD ROM drive. Sorry, no go. "

" i think this book was very fun to read. "

" Well it was like a world full of magic. they know how to do a lot of magic. "

" This was original, imaginative and did not talk down to pre-teens kinda book. Loved it, will look for more in this world! "

" A VERY funny children's fantasy that I think most adults would get a kick out of. It's the first in a series, and I think the author keeps the quality up for the entire ride, a rare feat. If you need a quick laugh, here it is. "

" well written, imaginative and funny. "

" I LOVED this book! it was my favorite in fith grade! it took me forever to find it again because i forgot the name. it was so good, I remembered the story. "

" This is one of 2 Pure Dead books on tape that I got at a library sale. Pleasant to listen to in the car. If I didn't have so many other things to read and listen to, I would possibly check out the rest of the series. "

" This is a series I found years ago and is more geared towards the YA crowd, but it's still a nice light read for an adult and can be quite enjoyable. "

" I enjoyed the humor in the book, but I didn't enjoy it so much that I'm planning to read the rest of the series. The story itself just didn't intrigue me that much. "

" this was a cute fun & very silly read! liked it a lot. loved that it was set in the scottish highlands! my kids will love it too! "

" Despite the wacky setting and situations, the characters deal with some universal problems. While most people haven't lost their baby sisters on the internet, it is easy to sympathize with the family as they try to cope with the father's absence and other upheavals. "

" The wonderful absurdity of this family grabbed me immediately and pulled me right in. Great sense of fun and very light reading. "

" It is incredibly sad that this ends the series. These books are truly unique, very funny, & very enjoyable, & I really want to hear more about the characters. "

" Love this series, I hope another book is coming soon! "

" A bit confusing since I jumped in in the middle of the series, but I caught on soon enough. "

" The more I read these books, the more I like them. "