PURE DEAD MAGIC - Debi Gliori

It's hard to really describe the events of this children's book for ages ten and up ... mainly because so, so much is going on throughout it.  The residents of the Strega-Borgia mansion are not having much good luck lately; mom and dad had a fight, leading to dad's storming out of the house - and then getting summarily kidnapped by some thugs working for his evil brother, as Signora Strega-Borgia wigs out and tries to pretend things are business as usual, including going off to her witchcraft classes.  Older children Titus and Pandora both enjoy torturing each other, even as both also join forces in resenting the new nanny recently come to the home.  Baby Damp, in fact, seems to be the only one happy - that is until, following a hoard of rats, she's shrunk and sucked up into her brother's computer.  Oh yeah, and a dragon, Bigfoot-like monster, and griffin live downstairs, not to mention the crocodile in the moat who hasn't had a good meal since the previous nanny.  Add a talking spider, a thug in a bunny suit, and a rescue mission conducted on the lanes of the superhighway of the worldwide web, and it all makes for a (needless to say) busy novel that isn't necessarily badly-written, but just has too much going on to really be able to focus on anything.  Sadly, that extends to the characters, who never come off fully real or sympathetic.  Well-written and kids might like the comic book-like events throughout, but I could never find myself buying into the story (storIES) or characters.  **

GOTHAM ACADEMY VOL. 2: CALAMITY - Becky Cloonan & Brenden Fletcher (illustrated by Karl Kerschl & Mingjue Helen Chen)

This second collection from DC Comics (following Gotham Academy Vol. 1: Welcome to Gotham Academy) begins with student Olive Silverlock attending the funeral of her mother.  Once back at school and with her Scooby-Doo-like gang of friends, the group finds a ready-made mystery not only in the form of not only a magic quill and seemingly possessed ravens ... but soon Olive finds herself seeing what appears to be the ghost of her mother on campus - a ghost who reveals its true nature, and Olive's true heritage, to the frightened young girl.  For the most part this graphic novel collection was a hit with me; even though I hadn't read the previous volume, I kind of like the old-school Scooby-Doo vibe of the friends (even though I think Olive herself was shunted too much to a background player, and while I love Maps I would have liked to delve more into the other characters, too).  There are a whole lot of subplots going on here, surrounding the main plot, but even an appearance by Damian Wayne (son of Bruce!) keeps your interest peaked.  While I found the first story, about the magic quill, a bit confusing in relation to the rest of Olive's tale, Gotham Academy Vol. 2: Calamity is beautiful to read in its artwork, and fun enough to read if you don't take it all too seriously, when the villain by the end practically needs to stand up and say "And I would have gotten away with too, if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!"  Gotta go back and pick up volume one, now.  ****

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

THE LISZTS - Kyo Maclear (illustrated by Julia Sarda)

Admittedly, it's been decades since I read a picture book geared for kids of kindergarten age to age four, but as a compulsive list maker myself the description of Kyo Maclear's latest, The Liszts, was intriguing.  Wonderfully (and perfectly) illustrated by Julia Sarda, Maclear depicts the Liszt family - mother, father, their three kids and a grandfather - who spend all their days and nights making lists of everything from their favorite sports figures to ranking their favorite musical artists and even those they admire or who admire them.  Lists, lists, the house is filling up with lists to the point of overflowing ... and when a stranger arrives on their doorstep he finds himself hopelessly rejected because - what else - he's not on the lists!  A story of getting so caught up in keeping your life organized, you leave no room for spontaneity, The Liszts is a lyrical, whimsical and wonderfully-written tale featuring beautiful artwork that will keep kids turning the pages, if not turn them back again for the almost gothic look of the Liszts's colorful world.  ****1/2

Note: I received a free ARC of this title via NetGalley and the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.