 
|
Pure Dead Batty is definitely a story worth venturing into. Debi Gliori
conjures up a captivating tale for children, a story that
twists away on certain aspects found in fairytales,
mysteries and fantasies until they are uniquely the author’s own.
Pure Dead Batty is about a peculiar family living in gloom because their much loved, and immortal nanny, Flora, has gone missing. The reason Flora is missing is because of a powerful stone, and the reason Flora cannot get back home is because of a magical thread.
A few unsavory characters in the book would love to get their hands on that powerful stone, too.
The whole family, plus one lovesick butler named Latch, desperately miss Flora. However, some quirky things start happening to the family after Flora vanishes. Pandora,
ten years old, is developing photographs that couldn’t possibly exist; and two-year-old Damp finds only one end of a silver thread. She decides to follow it. Fortunately, Flora is communicating with the family
in any way she can, all of them very strange.
Children will love glimpsing this magical world. Titus, Pandora and Damp live
with their parents in StregaSchloss, a home with 56
chimneys, a moat, a dungeon, and a mushroom bedroom. Don’t
even ask what’s in the freezer! Also living at StregaSchloss are a number of very
anthropomorphic beasts. The dragon Ffup is always watching her weight; Tock, the vegetarian crocodile, keeps busy with moat renovations. And the spiders wear way too much make-up.
Magical moments abound throughout the book. Paintings come to life, and someone turns into a hairy spider.
While humor is to be found all through the book, too, Ffup the dragon has to be the funniest character.
At one point, Ffup becomes enraged when given tinned food to eat. What she exclaims in response had me laughing out loud.
Children will devour this story. Author Debi Gliori, who lives in Scotland, has also written Pure Dead Magic, Pure Dead Wicked, and Pure Dead Brilliant.
|
|
Pure Dead Batty