Lemony Snicket, the dastardly and beloved kid’s writer, publishes a new picture book, The Dark, this week. We’re glad to see him back. Picture books aren’t Mr. Snicket’s original form, however; he’s best known for his Series of Unfortunate Events books detailing the ill-fated Baudelaire kids: Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny. These sad little waifs are handed off to their relative Count Olaf after their parents die in a fire; Count Olaf is either “a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.” Snicket opened up the dark possibilities for kid’s literature with his first Unfortunate Events book, The Bad Beginning, which we share with you this week. — April 1, 2013
The Baudelaire children—Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny—are exceedingly ill-fated; Snicket extracts both humor and horror from their situation, as he gleefully puts them through one terrible ordeal after another. After receiving the news that their parents died in a fire, the three hapless orphans are delivered into the care of Count Olaf, who “is either a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.” The villainous Count Olaf is morally depraved and generally mean, and only takes in the downtrodden yet valiant children so that he can figure out a way to separate them from their considerable inheritance. The youngsters are able to escape his clutches at the end, but since this is the first installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there will be more ghastly doings. Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12)
