Rating: 
Summary: Going from bad to worse couldn't be better!
Review: Think your life is bad? Forget about it--the lives of the Baudelaire children are worse! After devouring the first five books in a flash--the word "devouring" here does not mean that we hastily gobbled them up, but rather that we were compelled to read them rapidly in succession--we immediately e-bought Book 6, "The Ersatz Elevator" and Book 7, "The Vile Village." Lemony Snicket's unrelenting(ly funny) account of the misfortunes that befall the Baudelaires is never watered down by saccharine solutions, trust us. Kids 8 and up will find every book in the series hilariously morose and intriguing, including the author's different photos, bios and letters at the end of each book. Parents and teachers will appreciate the unique and humorous way in which Mr. Snicket introduces new vocabulary to young readers. For reasons that remain unclear to us even now, we may never know Lemony Snicket as well as we know JK Rowling, but hopefully his series will contine to get even better, or should I say, worse?
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely magnificent
Review: Oh, the poor, poor (but rich) Baudelaire orphans--what horrible things happen to them. What a dismal life they lead. But it is not all for naught, because out of those horrible things and the dismal surroundings emerges a most original, entertaining, mildly funny tale one could imagine.Count Olaf and his minions are villains extraordinaire. Violet and Klaus are perhaps the main heroes, but the reader may find himself drawn most to little Sunny, dangling from the tower, unable even to babble. The atmosphere couldn't be worse--in the best sense. Children's literature has too often been about good little boys and girls who prevail against the very mild problems they face. Not so here. These kids don't make a dent in their problems. In fact, the problems just get worse and worse to and including the last page. But real kids love tales of adversity. A case in point: the recent surge of interest in the Titanic disaster. Well, this book is a disaster too. Don't buy it. Don't read it. Lemony Snicket himself said so, and I believe everything he says.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Original!
Review: A very interesting, original story about all the bad things that happen to the 3 Baudelaire children. I absolutely loved the way this book was written and seems to flow smoothly. However, I think that some of the situations in the book were depressing, and may be scary for very young children. Otherwise this book was wonderful, and I found myself rooting for the Baudelaire children, and despising Count Olaf and his friends.
Rating: 
Summary: pointless
Review: Maybe if I hadn't heard so many wonderful things about this book (as well as the entire line of follow-ups) I wouldn't be reviewing it so harshly.
This book is nothing but pointless, weightless children's fluff. Amusing if you are under 10 years of age & looking for some light (ULTRA light) reading, but completely unsatisfying if you crack the cover expecting something more along the lines of 'Harry Potter'.
The plot is very thin, and I can only assume it's due to this being one of a series, and thus the overall tale of the Baudelaire orphans is spread over the 10+ novels that have since been released. But this left the first book with very little substance, and left me feeling like I didn't care enough to give it another go with the second installment.
Rating:
Summary: The Bad Beginning
Review: I give this book five stars because:
1.It makes you want to keep reading
2.Its humorous
3.Its entertaining and interesting to read
4.The author has a great sense of humor
5.The author uses descriptive words Violet, Sunny and Klaus Baudelaire are three very unlucky children. When their parents perished in a fire, they thought life couldn't get any worse. They were wrong. When the three children are sent to live with a distant relative, they had hoped their luck was about to change for the better. Unfortunately, they had reckoned without Count Olaf and his diabolically fiendish scheme to steal the children's inheritance.
The Series of Unfortunate Events are books that are very different to the typical image of children's literature. As the narrator says, "There is no happy ending, there is no happy beginning and there are very few happy things in the middle." The author uses a great sense of humor and depending on how you focus upon the book, it can either be depressing or very funny. I personally found it very good and interesting to read. Even though some of the things that happen to the three orphans are just plain awful, it still makes me want to read more and more.
The characters are both entertaining. Count Olaf is dangerously evil. The Baudelaires are intelligent, clever, resourceful children who enjoying reading and inventing. No matter what happens, they will always find some solution to their problems, even though more bad things are just around the corner.
This book is really fun to read and very interesting. I recommend this book to all kids of all ages. Whoever reads this book will enjoy it and when they start reading it, I bet they wouldn't want to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: Quick, fun read
Review: In a recent assignment, my son reviewed "The Bad Beginning": The story of the Baudelaire orphans is a tragic one, telling the miserable tale of Violet, Klaus, and Sunny (the orphans), who lose their parents in a fire that destroys their home and all of their possessions and are then sent to live with the ominous Count Olaf. The Count plots to take control of the entire Baudelaire fortune, while treating the children very poorly, making them do all sorts of chores and providing them horrible living conditions. The book had its ups and downs. For example, I thought the narrator's definitions and repeated warnings that the book was "very sad" were annoying, not funny (as I think the author intended). I didn't find "The Bad Beginning" that sad, probably because I'm a boy. Sure, it must have been pretty sad for the kids to learn that their parents had been charcoaled like hotdogs. But, to me, the book was intended to be read the same way you watch old silent movies (I saw some for the first time this summer ... neat stuff!): knowing it's funny because it's an exaggeration. I'm not putting the book down; don't get me wrong. I plan to read the rest of the series. One of its "ups," by the way, was that the orphans' ideas were really cool.... When I shared my opinion of the book with my mom, who is also reading the series, we discussed how the book is actually plot-driven, not character-driven ... meaning, the focus is on what happens to the Baudelaire orphans, not who the Baudelaire orphans are. When you're done reading, you don't "know" Violet, Klaus, and Sunny the way you know Harry, Ron, and Hermione (from the Harry Potter series, of course), for example. Anyway, if you're looking for a quick, fun read, try this.
Rating:
Summary: You don't like the book? Listen to it on audio
Review: I read the book in an hour and a half. I must admit I wasn't overly anamored with it. It wasn't until my sister, who works in a public library, introduced me to the audio version, performed by Tim Curry, that I really began to appreciate the wit and humor of these books (Warning: books 3 through 5 are read by "Lemony Snicket" himself and just don't have the same charm).
These books are meant to be read aloud! Tim Curry does a fantastic job at showing how all the adults, with maybe the exception of Count Olaf himself, are imbeciles in comparison with the Baudelaire children. If ever there was a child power series of books, this is it.
No, it is not Harry Potter, but was it trying to be?
Yes, there are some things that my be inappropriate for younger children. There are in certain children's movies that parents pop in without thought(boy was I suprised when I saw a few of those as an adult). Perhaps this will prompt some questions for discussion, questions our kids will be asking us anyway. There are things our kids need educated about in order to be able to defend themselves against them.
Yes, it's the same thing over and over again. Anybody remember Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown? Didn't we love those as kids?
So--"Ho ho ho, hee hee hee. Have a heart shaped balloon." Take these books for what they are worth: a twist on reality that pokes fun at adults. You may even increase your vocabulary while you're at it.
Rating:
Summary: decidedly different
Review: "The Bad Beginning" is the beginning of the Baudelaire children's story, in of which their house is burned down to the ground and both of their parents are killed. They are left in the charge of Count Olaf, who treats them miserably. But Count Olaf only wants their fortune, and the orphans plan up a scheme to stop him. This book is short, parts of it are rather bizarre, and Snicket's writing style starts off interesting (later on it becomes mildly annoying). This book is a great start to an equally great series. Highly recommended, though at times I had doubts about the appropriate age level, since some scenes involve a baby being dangled outside a window from a birdcage, and Violet, age fourteen, is set to marry the horrible Count Olaf.
Rating:
Summary: The Bad Begging
Review: Yes, if you wish to escape the sweetness and light of the Harry Potter generation this very well may be your portal. Written in the best English childhood storytelling style, this is all quite witty and wicked at the same time.
Disturbingly wicked at times. Threatened infanticide, child abuse, and attempted statutory rape are not exactly topics you want to expose younger children or the over-impressionable to. But face it. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny would hever reach their potential without good 'ol Count Olaf to spur them along. He's the villain that too many stories need (including the aforementioned HP) but never get.
At this writing I have not read past the first volume, and I am wondering how thin the subject matter will get by the tenth. My unfortunate event is now I will have to find out!
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