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LATEST ISSUE OF
Kirkus Reviews
Kirkus talks to Chris Pavone about The Accident, his latest thriller in which ordinary lives are thrust into spectacular jeopardy.
Kirkus Star
THE KIRKUS STAR
Awarded to Books of Exceptional Merit


Books by Lemony Snicket

29 MYTHS ON THE SWINSTER PHARMACY by Lemony Snicket
Released: Feb. 11, 2014
by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Lisa Brown
"For all its enigmatic nature, the tale provides a clear reason for drawing one's own conclusions: Observing and recording the results through a personal filter makes a good story. (Picture book. 5-8)"
Young investigators, a girl and boy old enough to ride the city bus alone, offer 29 observations associated with a building in another town. Read full book review >
"WHEN DID YOU SEE HER LAST?" by Lemony Snicket
Released: Oct. 15, 2013
by Lemony Snicket
"Little is answered definitively, but fans won't mind; they'll just be pleased there are two more young Snicket adventures to come. (Mystery. 8-14)"
Questions answered, question posed (the wrong one again). Mysteries solved, mystery deepens…. Read full book review >
THE DARK by Lemony Snicket
Released: April 2, 2013
by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Jon Klassen
"A lovely if uneven offering about a common childhood fear. (Picture book. 3-7)"
Are you afraid of the dark? Read full book review >
"WHO COULD THAT BE AT THIS HOUR?" by Lemony Snicket
Released: Oct. 23, 2012
Kirkus Star
by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Seth
"Fans of the Series of Unfortunate Events will be in heaven picking out tidbit references to the tridecalogy, but readers who've yet to delve into that well of sadness will have no problem enjoying this weird and witty yarn. (Mystery. 8-12)"
Young Mr. Snicket seems to always ask the wrong questions. Read full book review >
13 WORDS by Lemony Snicket
ANIMALS
Released: Oct. 1, 2010
Kirkus Star
by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Maira Kalman
"This charming chef-d'oeuvre sings like a mezzo-soprano. (Picture book. 3-10)"
"WORD NUMBER 1: Bird. / The bird sits on the table." Read full book review >
THE COMPOSER IS DEAD by Lemony Snicket
FICTION
Released: March 1, 2009
by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Carson Ellis
"Conceived as an alternative to "Peter and the Wolf" but more a send-up than an informational visit to the pit, the episode isn't likely to make much of a lasting impression on young audiences. (Picture book. 8-10, adult)"
In this characteristically unsettling invitation to Meet the Orchestra, the Composer leads off—dead or, as the author puts it, "decomposing" at his desk. Read full book review >
THE LUMP OF COAL by Lemony Snicket
FICTION
Released: Oct. 1, 2008
by Lemony Snicket, illustrated by Brett Helquist
"The volume's size, as well as the book in general, may strike many as diminutive, which here means small in stature, but make no mistake as to its usefulness, as many a Christmas stocking will accept such an endeavor in lieu of a real lump of coal. (Picture book. 8 & up)"
One might say that Snicket, author of the wildly successful A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Helquist, the illustrator of same, have diminished their talents with this short, illustrated Christmas story about a talking lump of coal. Read full book review >
THE WIDE WINDOW by Lemony Snicket
FAMILY AND GROWING UP
Released: Feb. 29, 2000
by Lemony Snicket

The third book in A Series of Unfortunate Events (The Bad Beginning, 1999, etc.) has all the stuff of its predecessors' melodrama—bold narration, dark humor, exaggerated emotions and dialogue, humorously stereotypical characters, and an overriding conflict between good and evil. Read full book review >
THE BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket
Released: Sept. 30, 1999
by Lemony Snicket
"Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12)"
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. Read full book review >