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Summary: FOLLOW THE AUTHORS ADVICE AND READ SOMETHING ELSE
Review: After reading the glowing reviews here I was thrilled (or so I thought) to find a series of books for my ten year old son. He is an avid reader and so we are always looking for good reading material. The first book was so simple and unimaginative that he asked if he had to finish it. "Had to finish the book", this from a child who prefers reading to almost anything else. I then read it myself and understood why he didn't want to finish it. The story tries too hard to be cleaver but never really pulls it off. Yes, defining words seems like a great idea but even that gets old after a while. Nor does Snicket do a good job with all of his definitions. Then there is the "warning" on the back cover letting us know that the book is not a happy book and if you like that sort of thing to find another story. There are lots of examples where children are asked serious questions and walk through tough situations in the course of a book. Hatchet by Gary Paulsen, Holes by Louis Sachar and The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling to name a few. The difference is the children in these stories work their way through whatever problems arise and grow and learn from them. There is a sense of hope even in the worst of times. By the authors own admission he offers no hope in his stories. The Baudelaire siblings go from one bad experience to another. Is this really what you want your children reading?
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Summary: Chapter One
Review: This book is chapter one in "A Series of UnfourtunateEvents", and (unfourtuneately) the review below applies to the first chapter of that. Do you follow me? Well, in case you do, here is my review of only the first chapter of "The Bad Beginning".After reading the first chapter of this book online, I can only say that the chapter (and probably the whole book, too) lives up to thetitle of the series. In this short chapter alone, the children discover that their parents and possessions parished in a fire at their home. And, after all, we knew this would happen after reading the first two sentences, which read: "If you are intrested in books with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, but there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle." All in all, I can only say--wow. There has never been a worse opening chapter, not even in "Harry Potter" where Harry is forced to stay with the magic-hateing Muggles The Dursleys. I cannot wait to get my hands on the complete book!...
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Summary: THE GREATEST OF THE WORST!
Review: The author, Lemony Snicket, is a delightful entertainer in spite of the horrific events in which the orphans continually find themselves. Mr. Snicket's style is, without a doubt, one of the most humorous (and educational) that I've experienced. You owe it to yourself and to any children in your life to read the entire "Series of Unfortunate Events" (books 1-5) and all future editions as well. Superbly done, which in this case, means "extremely fine and excellent"....
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Summary: My kids are not pleased.
Review: Always on the quest to find books that will please my 8 and 9 year olds, I tried Lemony Snicket. The novel starts with the sudden death of the parents of the three Baudelaire children and the gutting of their home by fire. Things go downhill for them from there. The book is heavily ironic and affected. It keeps an "isn't this clever" barrier between itself and the reader. My kids snickered once or twice but they were obviously not drawn in by the plight of the unfortunate Baudelaire orphans. One gimmick Mr. Snicket uses is to define some words within the narration. Surprisingly, this was what my kids liked the best, particularly when the explanations were for the utterances of the baby. With Harry Potter and Holes, my kids begged me each night to read just one more chapter and failing that just one more word. Not so with Lemony Snicket. We won't be reading Book 2.
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Summary: Appeals to the dark sense of humor
Review: If you love Edward Gorey, The Far Side, or Daniel Pinkwater, you should give these books a try. Their dark, elaborate sense of humor had me and my 7-year-old daughter laughing out loud as we read to one another. The two opening sentences are "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book. In this book, not only is there no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle." If that makes you laugh, you'll like this book. Otherwise, feel free to go read Garfield Book 47.
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Summary: I can't recommend these books enough.
Review: I'm a librarian at an elementary school, and I think these books are the best thing to happen to children's literature in a very long time. Unlike the Harry Potter books, which are lots of fun but merely entertainment, these books really build a child's vocabulary and thinking skills without sacrificing the entertainment value. Buy these for your kids--they'll thank you years later, when they're still rereading them. PS Anybody who has complaints about the darkness in the subject matter ought to reread some fairytales. And ayone who complains about the tone of the books ought to reconnect with their sense of humor!
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Summary: Why is this book so charming?
Review: Okay, I thought that a book about bad things that happen to a few young children couldn't possibly be good. It couldn't possibly be interesting. And it DEFINITELY wouldn't be enjoyable. Boy am I an idiot. The Baudelaire children are a trio of orphans who lose their parents early in the book, and end up being shifted to the miserly accomodations of their Uncle Olaf, a thoroughly despicable character who comes after Saruman and the White Witch for hateability. He wants their money, which they are not allowed to have yet, and treats them horribly. The characters, except the Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny, have very little character development but somehow end up being fully believable and playing on your emotions precisely how the writer intended. The writing style is nothing to write home about, yet manages to be witty and descriptive--I could practically see the events being talked about, and the characters as well. In a word, this book has the quality of being a wondrous story without overdoing the detail and things like that. Does it have a happy ending? You can find the answer at the very first page. This is a dark story, dark but excellent. If your children want a happily-ever-after story, I would advise not having them read this--it will only depress them. But if your children are not disturbed by a more realistic story, then they will love this.
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Summary: Finally, a non-cutesy, yet imaginative, book for kids.
Review: I work in the children's section of a bookstore, and I've been eyeballing the Unfortunate Events series for a while now. As someone who is completely sick of the Harry Potter phenomenon, I found the Snicket books quite appealing. (Actually, I couldn't finish the first Harry Potter book, but I'll give it another try. I promise.) The events in the book are interestingly hard to place in time. The setting is uncertain; there are horse-drawn carriages as well as automobiles in the streets, but Violet, the eldest of the orphans, wishes for an inventing lab with computers. The last scene of the book takes place in a theater that reminds a reader of something from Agatha Christie. The drawings look like something from the 1910s. The elusive quality of the author is also interesting, in contrast to the high-profile of J.K. Rowling. There's uncertainity that a Lemony Snicket even exists. I loved the little hints the author left about himself throughout the book, and the references to a deceased woman named "Beatrice." I also liked the fact that the children in the book are like real children; they aren't overly cutesy, nor are they shown to be stupid. They are inventive, but not infallible. At the same time, the book isn't about real life. It's still a fantasy, and I enjoyed that. This is definitely a book worth reading, for adults and children alike.
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Summary: Unfortunate is the mis-understanding of the bad reviews
Review: What a book! Snicket is amazing. I cannot believe the bad reviews that this book has been given by other readers. Obviously they are not capable of handling sarcastic humor. IT IS FUNNY! If you go into this book expecting it to be a typical funny book, be prepared for something different. It is dismal and unhappy and because of the way Snicket deals with the situations, very, very funny. All four books are at the top of my recommended reading list (I am a children's librarian). Enjoy, and keep waiting for the 5th volume to come out!
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Summary: It is not Unfortunate to pick Bk 1 the Bad Beginning by
Review: A Series of Unfortunate Events Book 1 the Bad Beginning is a delight! Lemony Snicket is a master of disaster. The Baudelaire orphans Violet, Klaus, and baby Sunny are sent to live with vile "meaning unpleasant to the senses" Count Olaf who only wants the Baudelaire family fortune. The children are miserable in their new dreary "meaning rainy day gloom" existence. One uncomfortable bed, Count Olaf's neglect, lumpy oatmeal, no so idle threats, horrendous chores, and evil schemes plague these orphans. Is there hope? Well no but that's the fun. Very original funny book I reccommend for ALL AGES! Plan on buying the whole lot of misery once you read the first one.
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