Pure Dead Frozen($17.93Value)

Description

As usual, the Strega-Borgia family can't seem to get a break: They've just welcomed a newborn boy Strega-Borgia into the world, but before they can give him a name, he's snatched and replaced with a demon baby. Mrs. McLachlan, the super-efficient (and supernatural) nanny is back, safe and sound—but so is the demon Isagoth, and he hasn't forgotten what he wants from the Strega-Borgias. And evil Uncle Lucifer has resurfaced, but this time he has the added ammunition of a pact with S'tan the First Minister of the Headen Executive—otherwise known as His Imperial Inflammableness, his S'tainless Steeliness, and the Arch-Fiend. And S'tan himself is desperate to find the Chronostone, because. . . well, to put it bluntly, Hades is starting to freeze over, and without the Chronostone, he may never regain his power. The family's got to be ready—because this will be the final battle between good and evil, the battle where winner takes all. And they're going to need all the help they can get. . . . Grade 5–8—The magical and somewhat batty Strega-Borgia family returns in the sixth volume in Gliori's popular series. Everyone awaits the birth of the new baby—especially evil, revenge-seeking Uncle Don Lucifer, who has made a deal with S'tan to have the newborn stolen and substituted with a leering infant demon with pointed teeth. The demon Isagoth, assigned to steal the baby, finds him to be more than a handful. Meanwhile, Mum doesn't seem to notice that her newest child is a changeling, and the other family members are doing their best not to upset her with the news. Oh—and Hell has literally frozen over, too. This witty, if overwritten, novel seems to be aimed more at adults than at children, and readers experience the story nearly as often from the adults' points of view as from those of the Strega-Borgia children. It's likely that only readers familiar with the previous titles will be able to follow most of the convoluted goings-on, but the series' many fans will no doubt be waiting for it.— Walter Minkel, New York Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Praise for the Pure Dead series: “Anyone with a taste for wild farce anchored by a loving family will be enraptured.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Should Lemony Snicket grow a bit stale, here’s the perfect antidote . . . Mary Poppins meets the Addams family in a nonstop farce.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred “Fast-paced, grossly hilarious . . . give this to fans of Roald Dahl, Charles Addams, and Lemony Snicket.” —Booklist From the Trade Paperback edition. Debi Gliori is the author of Pure Dead Magic, Pure Dead Wicked, Pure Dead Brilliant, Pure Dead Trouble, and Pure Dead Batty. She lives in Scotland.