City News

A Series of Unfortunate Events; The Bad Beginning, by Lemony Snicket, is the first book in the

series of 13 books. It is a clever and entertaining story set in a world like ours, but it is populated

with bizarre characters and distinctly dark happenings. The main characters are the three

Baudelaire children, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, who have lived a comfortable life until a fire burns

their home and supposedly kills their parents. The deaths are suspicious, and no one knows

how the fire started in the first place. The children have nothing left and Mr. Poe, who is

temporarily caring for them, must find a relative to take them in.

He finds a new caretaker, Count Olaf, and the children hope their lives will take a turn for the

better. However, Count Olaf is only interested in gaining the childrens’ family fortune. He learns

he cannot touch the money until Violet, the oldest of the three, is of age. Until then, he

constantly tortures The Baudelaire children, and they have to find a way to protect themselves

from his nasty schemes.

The book is exciting to read and is a page turner. Lemony Snicket uses large, grown-up words

in short, child-like sentences. He defines the words in the context of the story. He even explains

some legal concepts that are used throughout the story. The children work together to figure out

how to get out of whatever predicament they are in. They have each other’s back and help each

other. Other recurring themes in this book and throughout the series include:

1. Adults are stupid and grotesque figures

2. The narrator is Lemony Snicket himself, who we sometimes see throughout the books

3. Words that stretch a child’s vocabulary are defined in context by the narrator in a funny

way

4. The three siblings use their talents to solve problems – they are smart and strong

5. The main problem is Count Olaf in every book

The books are a skewed, whimsical twist of a fairytale. As the Baudelaire children get into worse

and worse luck, and there is high suspense, the writing is still playful which keeps everything fun

and enjoyable. The story creates a separate world apart from reality which is a great escape for

children, but adults can find it irritating. The atmosphere is a little bit Victorian but modern

enough to have walkie-talkies.

I love reading these books and have read all 13 because they are captivating and hard to put

down. I like how the books have a Victorian, old world look to them. The spine is a different

color from the cover, the illustration on the front is detailed and colorful, there are illustrations in

the book, and the edges of the pages are uneven and rough. These elements all give these

books a different feel from most others in the bookstore and make the reader feel like they are

holding a valuable item. This different outside packaging of the books mirrors the strange world

on the inside of the book.

For children, I give this book and the series a 10 out of 10. They are captivating and impossible

to put down. These books are ok for adults who do not mind the Gothic-like story line. Not all

adults will want to read these to their children.

Lastly, I would read the books before watching the Netflix series. I enjoyed watching the Netflix

shows but sometimes I felt the characters were different than what I had imagined when I read

the books. Additionally, in some of the early episodes, spoilers were given away prematurely.

Check out The Bad Beginning from the Newport Beach Public Library.