Pure Dead Frozen

I read this book when I was about 10 years old and I've never forgotten it. What I recall was how romantic the life of the uncle seemed to me at the time. When I re-read the book years later, I saw that the author felt that the uncle was an irresponsible figure. I still love and respect the uncle character. Not all of us are nuclear family and white-picket fences people. All hail the uncle, Jack Kerouac and being On the Road! This is a wonderful book and I recommend it to everyone.

Debi Gliori's PURE DEAD FROZEN returns the Strega-Borgia family with a new adventure when a baby is born to the family but immediately is snatched away and replaced by a demon baby. Ancient evil comes back to life and the family's gearing up for a showdown in this fun fantasy.

I love the "Pure Dead" series! I'm reading them to my son; he can't wait for more - and I'm enjoying them as much as he is! Imagine the Addams family in Scotland; that comes close to describing the Strega-Borgias, though the characters are nothing if not unique and original. There are strong, well developed characters of both genders, a marvelous assortment of highly unusual talking pets (including dragons), a castle with a moat, good witches, evil demons, a cryogenically frozen great great etc. grandmother who awakens from time to time, a villainous and homicidal half-brother, and thoroughly bizarre situations, all presented with great humor and warmth. I highly recommend the "Pure Dead" books to anyone with an offbeat imagination, child or adult.

This story is about a boy, Edward Frost, who wants a dog to make the neighborhood bully, Martin Hastings, stop bugging him. When Edward's Uncle Josh comes with his dog Argess, Edward's dreams of having a dog start to come true. There is a big adventure at the end of the book. The ending is very exciting and I don't want to spoil it for you, so read this book!

I read this book nine times. Edward becomes attached to a collie dog brought to his house when his Uncle Josh comes for a summer visit. Edward thinks about the life of his Uncle, a hobo; about the bully, who makes him cry Uncle; and about his friend, who is an Uncle. The collie helps Edward become strong and thoughtful, and be better than Martin, the bully. A follow-up book, The Bully of Barkham Street, is about Martin.