The reviews on the back of this book tout it as "Harry Potter meets Lemony Snicket," but what a dismal disappointment it turned out to be. The book reeks of imitation; you can tell it's trying oh so hard to be the next big thing in kids' fantasy fiction. It fails miserably. The overly sarcastic style doesn't even come close to Snicket's intelligent humor, and the characters are perfect cardboard. I didn't care a bit for any of them, and didn't even finish the book. This book is pure dead boring, and I hope there won't be any more in the series. ( )

The second entry in this series is just as good as the first.

The Strega-Borgia's castle is in need of roof repairs and they head off to a hotel while it is being fixed. Little do they know that the building contractor is in cahoots with a real estate developer who wants the property for himself.

The Scottish humour is hilarious. The author puts a capital G on the word "Gross", but in such a funny way you don't mind being grossed-out. My favourite characters are the nanny, Mrs. McLachlan, a witch, and Tarantella, a lipstick-wearing spider who lives in the attic. The whole family is endearing, including the servants and the mythical beasts who live in the dungeon (a dragon, a yeti and a griffin). I'll certainly be reading the next book in the series and I'd recommend this to anyone who finds the idea of a Scottish Addams family appealing. ( )