John D. Orsborn (Children's Literature)
Titus, Pandora and Damp miss their father Signor Luciano Strega-Borgia terribly. He left StregaSchloss and hasn't been seen since. Little does the family know he is being held captive by his evil brother Don Lucifer. On top of that, their mother Signora Strega-Borgia, a witch in training, insists on hiring a new nanny, something the children dread very much. Enter Mrs. McLachlan. Unknown to the children, she will be instrumental in straightening out their lives and bringing the Strega-Borgia family together. Debi Gliori has created a fun magical story along the lines of the Adamms Family. The Strega-Borgias, along with their mystical pets Tock, Ffup, Sab and Knot, are entertaining and full of character, brought to life through Ms. Gliori's use of detail. The small chapter format of the book allows even the reluctant or slower reader to enjoy this supernatural story while not being overwhelmed by long chapters and complicated themes. 2001, Alfred A. Knopf, $15.95. Ages 10 to 18.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 1, 2001 (Vol. 69, No. 15))
Mary Poppins meets the Addams Family in a nonstop farce that spins readers and characters through cyberspace, from a cluttered mansion in the Scottish highlands to an elegant Italian palazzo. Three weeks earlier, paterfamilias Luciano Strega-Borgia had stormed out of StregaSchloss in a snit and mysteriously vanished. Now, with witch graduate school about to open, his grieving wife Baci is desperately in need of a nanny unfazed by the crocodile in the moat, the dragon, yeti, and griffin in the cellar, and a trio of strong-minded children ages 1, 10, and 12. Enter motherly Flora McLachlan, a cool-headed retired witch with an unusually useful Palm Pilot. There's one crisis solved-but the plot thickens: Luciano wakes up in Italy, kidnapped by evil half-brother Don Lucifer di S'Embowelli Borgia, and, shortly before the arrival at StregaSchloss of an ill-fated squad of hitmen (one in a bunny suit) hired by Don Lucifer, young Titus and Pandora Strega-Borgia inadvertently e-mail baby Damp through Luciano's PC. This debut fiction from Gliori ("Polar Bolero", p. 497, etc.) is also the first of a projected trilogy, though it stands sturdily on its own. She fills it with incident, as well as magical transformations, nauseating messes, cartoon violence, just deserts, and an array of exaggerated characters ranging from innocent to vile, quietly competent to totally clueless. Should Lemony Snicket grow a bit stale, here's the perfect antidote. 2001, Knopf, $15.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 11 to 13. Starred Review. © 2001 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Janice M. Del Negro (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, February 2002 (Vol. 55, No. 6))
Clan Strega-Borgia consists of three children (Titus, Pandora, and Damp), two parents (Luciano and Baci), and one great-great-great etc. grandmother (Strega-Nonna), who has been cryogenically preserved. They live in the castle StregaSchloss (described in Great Scottish Houses You Can’t Afford ), complete with turrets, dungeons, moat, and beasties (dragon, gargoyle, yeti, and crocodile) who defend and protect them. Nanny Flora MacLachlan is a witch in hiding, Signora Baci Strega-Borgia is a witch in training, and Don Lucifer Di S’Embowelli Borgia (half-brother to Signor Luciano Strega-Borgia) is a gangster. The plot is overcrowded, and the novel itself lacks tonal variety; the Mafia and Italian-ancestry jokes wear more than a little thin. Readers will nonetheless relish the breakneck pacing and fizzy blend of ingredients, including some cyber-shenanigans, apparently random magic, a kidnapping, an attempted assassination, and a hyper-intelligent spider who knows how to negotiate the world wide web. Though the wit sparkles only inconsistently, this may satisfy youngsters who like their supernaturalia silly. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2002, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2001, Knopf, 182p, $15.95 and $17.99. Grades 4-7.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2002)
The Strega-Borgia family of Scotland--which includes a witch for a mother and creepy kids Titus, Pandora, and Damp--contend with a bizarre new nanny, pet rats teleported across the Internet, and the abduction of the children’s father by his brother, a Mafia don. This first volume of a trilogy mixes humor with horror, but the comedy is often gross, and the over-the-top plot is too broadly focused. Category: Intermediate Fiction. 2002, Knopf, 185pp, $15.95, $17.99. Ages 9 to 12. Rating: 5: Marginal, seriously flawed, but with some redeeming quality.

Elaine McGuire (VOYA, December 2001 (Vol. 24, No. 5))
Three witch siblings grudgingly accept their new allegedly nonmagical nanny--she earns some points right away by being one of the few applicants not to be eaten by their pet/guardian crocodile. Pandora, Titus, and Damp need a nanny while their mom continues witch-study and their father remains missing after a marital spat. Father has not run off, however. He has been kidnapped by his half brother, Don di S'Embowelli Borgia, who is also an evil Mafia boss. With the help of the nanny, who is forced to use her secret nifty little Palm Pilot wand; the other pet/guardians, which include a yeti, a dragon, a griffin, and an enormous spider; and some hackerlike computer skill, their father is eventually rescued. Threads of Mary Poppins, The Addams Family, Harry Potter, The Godfather, and cyberpunk combine in this highly original and often humorous story. Too many balls in the air, however, take away from the story's overall effectiveness. Readers of Snicket's Unfortunate Events series are the best target audience for this uneven tale of sibling rivalry, familial woe, magic, and technology. Converted fans of this new author will look forward to her next book and might hope for a more streamlined story. PLB $17.99. VOYA CODES: 2Q 4P M J (Better editing or work by the author might have warranted a 3Q; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2001, Knopf, 182p, $15.95. Ages 11 to 15.