Book Review: The End

From Goodreads: Dear Reader, You are presumably looking at the back of this book, or the end of THE END. The end of THE END is the best place to begin THE END, because if you read THE END from the beginning of the beginning of THE END to the end of the end of THE END, you will arrive at the end of the end of your rope.
This book is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents.
It has been my solemn occupation to complete the history of the Baudelaire orphans, and at last I am finished. You likely have some other occupation, so if I were you I would drop this book at once, so THE END does not finish you.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
Thoughts: And thus, we come to The End - the final book in a Series of Unfortunate Events. We almost didn't make it - in fact, we reorganised our car pool arrangements to ensure we finished before the school holidays. The End does not explain everything - in fact it most probably explains very little and raises a few more questions. Many reviews I have read of it take umbrage at this but for me it was the only way it could end. As the series went, things became murkier and murkier. The children started to realise that not everything is black or white, good people can do bad things and bad people can do good things. Questions can get answered, but quite often those answers simply throw up more questions. If this book wrapped everything up neatly it would have been so out of line with the rest of the series I would have been offended. To follow this whole series through to the end takes commitment but I think it was well worth the effort.

Book Review: The Penultimate Peril

From Goodreads: Dear Reader, If this is the first book you found while searching for a book to read next, then the first thing you should know is that this next-to-last book is what you should put down first. Sadly, this book presents the next-to-last chronicle of the lives of the Baudelaire orphans, and it is next-to-first in its supply of misery, despair, and unpleasantness.
Probably the next-to-last thing you would like to read about are a harpoon gun, a rooftop sunbathing alon, two mysterious initials, three unidentified triplets, a notorious villain, and an unsavory curry.
Next-to-last things are the first thing to be avoided, and so allow me to recommend that you put this next-to-last book down first, and find something else to read next at last, such a s the next-to-last book in another chronicle, or a chronicle containing other next-to-last things, so that this next-to-last book does not become the last book you will read.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

Thoughts: Things are getting exciting now!! This is the second last book in the wonderful Series of Unfortunate Events that have followed the terribly sad tale of the Baudelaire orphans from that fateful day when their parents perished in a dreadful fire.
As with the previous books, more questions are raised and very few are answered. The Baudelaire's continue to wrestle with the question of their own nobility or villainy - is it ok to do something villainous for noble causes? Do the ends always justify the means? Characters from previous books resurface as everything starts to draw to a conclusion. In fact, I think half of the enjoyment of this installment for the kids was recalling who came from what book and what role they played in it. As always as this book drew to a close, the kids were begging me to download the last book - aptly titled The End. I will admit, they didn't have to beg too hard! Now all I hope is that we can make it through the last book before the school holidays start - not sure we could wait two weeks to find out what ultimately happens!
 

Book Review: The Grim Grotto

From Goodreads: Warning: Your day will become very dark - and possibly damp - if you read this book.
Plan to spend this spring in hiding. Lemony Snicket is back with the eleventh book in his New York Times bestselling A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Lemony Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to provoke suspicion and despair in readers the world over. In the eleventh and most alarming volume yet in the bestselling phenomenon A Series of Unfortunate Events, the intrepid siblings delve further into the dark mystery surrounding the death of their parents and the baffling VFD organisation.

Thoughts: Definitely getting to the pointy end of this series! With only two books to go I am confident we will knock it off before the end of the year.
Tim Curry is reading these and he is a perfect choice for it. This video is a summary of the first twelve books and I think shows, Curry's brilliance at narration.

Anyway, back to the story! This, the 11th book takes the Baudelaire children on a search for the sugar bowl - an item Count Olaf is desperate to get his hands on, although we're not quite sure why. As we head towards the conclusion of the series (there are only two books left - The Penultimate Peril and The End) the Baudelaire's are discovering more and more that the lines between good and evil can be blurred and things are not always as they seem. In the end they follow their own moral compass, which really, is all we can do in life.
Both myself and the kids are looking forward to the next, penultimate installment.

Book Review: The Slippery Slope

From Goodreads: Like bad smells, uninvited weekend guests or very old eggs, there are some things that ought to be avoided. Snicket's saga about the charming, intelligent, and grossly unlucky Baudelaire orphans continues to alarm its distressed and suspicious fans the world over. The 10th book in this outrageous publishing effort features more than the usual dose of distressing details, such as snow gnats, an organised troupe of youngsters, an evil villain with a dastardly plan, a secret headquarters and some dangerous antics you should not try at home. With the weather turning colder, this is one chilling book you would be better off without.
 
Thoughts: Book the 10th! Book 9 left us on a bit of a cliff hanger with the Baudelaire's separated by Count Olaf's dastardly deeds.
A few things happen in this book. Sunny is acknowledged as no longer being a baby. New friends are made, old villains retire and some questions are answered. As these things go, more questions are asked! It is obvious however, that we are starting to draw near the end. The books are no longer just about Count Olaf's quest for the Baudelaire fortune, but are about finding the truth - not only about the death of the Baudelaire parents, but the truth about their lives as well.
The kids I am pleased to say are just as eager for each new book as the old finishes as they have been the whole series. That alone tells me how good the series is. If you are able to keep the attention of children for over a year as the story evolves you are obviously doing something right. We only have three books to go - hopefully we knock it off before the end of the school year!

Book Review: The Carnivorous Carnival

From Goodreads: For fans of that slippery author Lemony Snicket, Book the Ninth is here, and it's completely (but wonderfully) dreadful.When the Baudelaire Orphans finally make it out of Count Olaf's car trunk (from Book the Eighth), they wind up at the horribly perilous Caligari Carnival. Trying to avoid capture but desperate to find out more information about a possible surviving parent, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny pose as circus freaks, only to be humiliated in front of visitors and pushed to the brink of consumption by lions. Fortunately, though, the three discover a few surprises about fortune-telling Madame Lulu, who offers a faint clue about V.F.D. and even the Snicket family itself.
Snicket fans will be in Ninth Heaven. Again, it's a sad state of affairs for the Baudelaires, but there are some fascinating morsels of hope, plus a few small surprises that might help link it all together. With riveting suspense, wicked intentions, and gullible freaks, The Carnivorous Carnival is definitely an installment that can't be missed.

Thoughts: Thank goodness we managed to finish this before the school holidays! Fairly sure the kids would have held me hostage in the car if we hadn't.
The situations in these books seem to get more and more ridiculous, more and more entertaining and more and more thought provoking. You could read these books and get into quite a long philosophical discussion about right and wrong, the world according to children and adults and various other issues, or you can read them and just really enjoy the silliness and suspense.
The previous book, The Hostile Hospital left us with the three Baudelaire orphans in the trunk of the their arch enemies car - Count Olaf. They had discovered that one of their parents may have survived the fire - the first glimmer of hope in the tale of ongoing tragedies. In this they end up disguised as freaks at Caligari Carnival, still trying to evade the clutches of Count Olaf and his troupe.
There are only 4 books left in this series and I am hoping against hope that there is some sort of happy ending for the orphans. Book 10 is all ready to go for term 2!

Book Review: The Hostile Hospital

From Goodreads: As you might expect, nothing but woe befalls the unlucky Baudelaire orphans in the eighth grim tale in Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events that began with The Bad Beginning. Ever since the orphans' photographs were plastered across the front page of The Daily Punctilio in an article falsely accusing them of murder, they have been on the run. Only when they disguise themselves as cheerful hospital volunteers (Volunteers Fighting Disease, to be exact), do they see a possible refuge. Of course, this backfires hideously. Where is their ineffectual guardian, Mr. Poe, when they need him most? Will the evil, greedy Count Olaf be successful in giving poor Violet a cranioectomy at the Heimlich Hospital? Is a heart-shaped balloon really better than water for a thirsty patient? Is no news really good news? As ever, Snicket refuses to comfort young readers with cozy answers and satisfying escapes. And, as ever, there are plenty of rusty blades and horrible plot twists to make us shudder and shameless-but-hilarious wordplay to make us grimace happily. Bring on the next one! 

Thoughts: Tim Curry (as in Frankenfurter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show) narrates this audio book version - and brilliantly!

Yep, that's your narrator!

 

 

 

 

I've been listening to this series in the car with my kids and another couple of boys who car pool with us. while not only being a highly entertaining story, it has the added bonus of keeping the kids quiet!
The premise of the series is the Baudelaires - Violet, Klaus and Sunny - have been left orphaned after a house fire killed their parents. In the first book they are placed in the care of their uncle, Count Olaf who the proceeds to try and get his hands on their sizeable fortune. They escape and subsequent books continue to chronicle their unfortunate events as Olaf continues to try and capture them.
One of the best thinks about this series is how well it is written. The situations the orphans find themselves in are so ridiculous you can quite happily suspend all disbelief and just enjoy the ride. However, along the way many themes are explored and discussed. In this, the eighth book in the series, the children suddenly realise the thin line between victim and villain and question which side they are on. Is doing something bad (like lying to someone you don't want to lie to) justifiable if it ultimately leads to a good outcome - even if it's only good for you?
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a funny, intelligent and exciting series, perfect for 8-12 year olds.