Rating: 
Summary: Very droll.
Review: Kind of like Roald Dahl meets Virginia Wolff -- for kids! All of the books in this series are fantastical, but not magical. It's hard to keep a kid's attention without magic (thanks, Harry P.), but these books do. Unless your kid's manic depressive, you can't go wrong with this series.
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Summary: Strange, but enchanting story...
Review: I just got my copy of this book and already it's finished! Such a great story. Lemony Snicket rocks!The interesting thing I found about this book was that it was hard not to imagine it taking place in the past, yet modern conveniences would pop-up unexpectedly to remind me it was more of a present setting. A part of me wishes these were written for us older folks. The constant explanation of what things mean is so great for kids, but not as fun for us adults. However, I love them and the fact that he refuses to put in the gushy happy ending that everyone expects. It makes it more realistic. That's the thing I love the most about these books, the author has created a full world complete with his "author" Lemony Snicket. So fun and interesting. It's also nice to see a girl who does something with her mind.
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Summary: I LOVE THIS BOOK!
Review: I'm 10 and I think this book is the greatest thing I read ever, including Charlotte's web and the new Harry Potter. I can't believe some people gave this book one star. I would give it ten stars if I could!
Rating:
Summary: An Outstanding Book
Review: The reason I liked this book is because I like suspenseful books but all the suspenseful books are scary books, so I was glad when I stumbled upon it. I am reading The Wide Window (the third book)and I think The Bad the Beginning is the best one.It was the best book I ever read in my life. Now about the book. After the parents die in a fire the three Baudelaire children(Violet the oldest,Klaus the middle,and Sunny the youngest)they get sent to there evil relative Count Olaf.I'm not going to tell you any more because I'll give to much away.
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Summary: The Bad Beginning
Review: I loved this book! the author Lemony Snicket has a greet imagination.......... an awsome book I loved it... 12 years young...
Rating: 
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?
Rating: 
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!...
Rating:
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"....
Rating: 
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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