Some books are serious, some books are funny, some books are fantasy, some books are weird. PURE DEAD MAGIC is a seriously funny, weird fantasy! But I mean that in the best way possible!

The story begins at StregaSchloss, the ancestral castle of the clan Strega-Borgia. This forbidding palace in the Scottish wilderness is guarded by a very hungry alligator, an abominable (and stinky!) snowman, a smallish dragon and a peevish griffin. Visitors who manage to make it inside are greeted by the three Strega-Borgia children, Titus, Pandora and Damp. Titus is a computer geek, wound up in a game that seems to be downloaded into the walls of the house. Pandora has a thing for pets --- as in, she raises rats and has a giant spider named Tarentella who wears lipstick and speaks. Damp is just a baby who seems to mostly be interested in getting into dangerous situations and chewing on whatever she can get into her mouth.

The children's mother, Signora Baci Strega-Borgia, is a student at The Advanced Witchcraft Institute. She isn't the best witch, and she is struggling with her spells. And as for the children's father, Signor Luciano Strega-Borgia,  well, he and his wife had a big argument a few weeks ago, and he's not been seen since. Is he just taking a break form the family or has something more sinister happened? And how will Signora Strega-Borgia ever become a full-fledged witch if she spends all her time holding the household together and no time on her studies?

Enter Mrs. McLachlan. She arrives at StregaSchloss in answer to an ad for a nanny. Unlike all the other candidates, she makes it past the moat and its ravenous alligator and doesn't blink an eye at the children who have covered themselves in blood and rats. In fact, Mrs. McLachlan settles herself in the living room, even taming the biting couch. Signora Strega-Borgia hires her immediately as the new nanny, then zooms off on her broomstick to her first day of classes.

Mrs. McLachlan is a curious one; she looks just like a normal Scottish lady, with comfy sweaters and tissues always at hand. However, she is weirdly UN-shocked by the kooky residents of the household and quickly makes herself useful, tidying up the dungeon and taking the yeti for walks. She is the picture of calm and motherliness, baking muffins and frying up chips. Even the usually standoffish kids Titus and Pandora start to like her. But is Mrs. McLachlan hiding something? And what is the Palm Pilot-like device she keeps locked in her purse?    

I don't want to give too much of the plot away as the surprises are what makes PURE DEAD MAGIC such a delight to read. I'll just say the Stregia-Borgias give new meaning to the phrase Internet Superhighway. And you'll never look at the Energizer Bunny in the same way. This book is a must read for anybody who likes stories about witches, hackers, the Mafia, magical nannies, assassination plots --- okay, let's face it, PURE DEAD MAGIC is a must read for everyone!

   --- Reviewed by Addelaide Hayes