The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: Aboard a fictional submarine.

First Sentence: After a great deal of time examining oceans, investigating rain storms, and staring very hard at several drinking fountains, the scientists of the world developed a theory regarding how water is distributed around our planet, which they have named "the water cycle."

This novel is the eleventh in the author's thirteen book series entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

In this novel the author uses the concept of the water cycle as a metaphor for the unfortunate events which have plagued the Baudelaire orphans.

• The orphans find themselves is a dangerous or inappropriate place not of their choosing.
• The evil  Count Olaf finds them.
• The orphans find a way to escape his clutches...
• Only to find themselves in another dangerous circumstance.

In this book the children find themselves on a submarine with VFD allies. (The VFD is a secret society working against the evil count.)  The orphans and their allies use the submarine to travel to the Gorgonian Grotto in search of the sugar bowl. The sugar bowl is an object greatly desired by both the evil Count Olaf and the good VFD.  No one will tell the orphans what is in the sugar bowl.

When the Baudelaires return to the submarine, the Captain and crew have mysteriously disappeared.

But, who is on the submarine?  Count Olaf of course.  Along with Esme, Carmelita, the man with hooks, and the rest of Olaf's henchpersons.

Now, the Baudelaires must find a way to escape the Count's clutches.

While working on their escape plans, the orphans decipher a VFD code.  This code gives them a plan for where to should go when they escape.

When they arrive at their destination, they discover Mr. Poe waiting for them.
Do the Baudelaires passively go along with Mr. Poe, and continue the cycle?
Or, do they make a proactive decision to break the cycle?

This book has an interesting ending.  Only two more books to go.

Is there a chance for a happy conclusion?

                                                 

The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau

Genre: Juvenile Science Fiction

Setting: In a fictional city deep underground.

First Sentence: In the city of Ember, the sky was always dark.

This novel is the first in the author's Books of Ember Series.

Years ago the Builders decided that the safest place for the people of Ember was in colony deep below the surface.  They decided that the people would need to stay there for over two hundred years.  And the people would have no knowledge of any other place.

The Builders left instructions for the people when it was time to return to the surface.

Unfortunately, the instructions were lost.  Now it is time to return to the surface but the people and their leaders don't know.

The storage rooms are almost empty.  And the machines that the people rely on for power are beginning to fail.

Two young people realize that there is something wrong.  Lina Mayfleet has found an interesting piece of paper with writing on it.  She is sure that the paper is a set of instructions. But for what?  Doon Harrow is a pipe works laborer.  He has access to the tunnels under the city.  Doon has found that the greedy mayor and his friends are hiding a stockpile of scarce items and food.

When the mayor accuses them of spreading rumors, Lina and Doon must throw caution to the wind try to follow the mysterious instructions.

Will they make it to the surface?

What will they find there?

In the end, the book leaves many questions unanswered, so we must read on in book two "The People of  Sparks."




                                                              

The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: In a fictional mountain range.

First Sentence: A man of my acquaintance once wrote a poem called "The Road Less Traveled," describing a journey he took through the woods along a path most travelers never used.

This novel is the tenth of the author's thirteen book series entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

When we last saw the Baudelaire orphans. at the end of "The Carnivorous Carnival," they were traveling with Count Olaf towards the Mortmain Mountains.  Sunny is in the front seat of Olaf's automobile with Esme. Olaf is driving.  Klaus and Violet are in a caravan being pulled by the car.

And Count Olaf knows who the orphans are.

Count Olaf knows that he only needs one of the Baudelaire orphans to claim the orphans' vast fortune.  Since Sunny is with him, the evil count decides to rid himself of the two older siblings.

Rid himself here means to cause the death of the older orphans.

Fortunately, Klaus and Violet do not die.

So they continue their quest to find the V.F.D. headquarters.  And to rescue Sunny from the evil count's clutches.

Along the way the two children make  some interesting discoveries.

They learn that snow gnats avoid smoke.
They find the Snow Scouts.
They meet two unpleasant people from earlier episodes.
They discover an orphan triplet whose travels have paralleled  those of the Baudelaires.
They climb a frozen waterfall.
And, they realize that Sunny is no longer a baby.

All three of the orphans show that they are no longer the count's helpless victims.

Now they are showing that they are intrepid and brave explorers who can up to the count's treachery.

I really liked this book.  The characters of the children are developing into strong interesting characters which I like.

Now, on to the next book.




                                           

The Carnivorous Carnival by Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: A fictitious carnival in the hinterlands

First Sentence:  When my workday is over, and I have closed my notebook, hidden my pen, and sawed holes in my rented canoe so that it could not be found, I often like to spend the evenings in conversation with my few surviving friends.

This novel is the ninth in the author's thirteen book series entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

At the end of "The Hostile Hotel" the Baudelaire orphans were hidden in the trunk of Count Olaf's car.  The Evil count, with his evil assistants were headed to the hinterlands.  They were escaping the count's latest failed attempt to steal the orphans' fortune.

The orphans were in the trunk because there was no other place to hide from the count.  Also, the orphans think that count might lead them to information about the Baudelaires' parents.

After traveling through the hinterlands for hours the villains and the children arrive at the Calgari Carnival.  The count and his henchpersons were unaware of their secret cargo.

In order to escape detection, the orphans disguise themselves as carnival freaks.  Madam Lulu hires them and adds them to the carnival's freak show.

The carnival business is slow.  So Count Olaf decides to increase business.  He purchases a group of lions.  He intends to starve the lions, and then throw a freak into the lion pit.

The news of the lion show spreads quickly.  On the day of the show there is a large crowd excited to see hungry carnivores devour a freak.

When Madam Lulu discovers the orphans searching her caravan she reveals information about the orphans' parents.  One of the parents may be alive in the Mortmain Mountains.

Will the lions devour a freak?

Will the lions devour and orphan?

Will the orphans disguises fool Count Olaf?

Will the orphans learn the truth about their parents?

How will the orphans get to the Mortmain Mountains?

At the end of this book, the orphans are once again in harms way.

Exciting.

Dangerous.

I need to read on.


                                                 

The Hostile Hospital by: Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: A fictional hospital.

First Sentence:  There are two reasons why a writer would end a sentence with the word "stop" written entirely in capital letters STOP.

This novel is the eighth book in the author's thirteen book series entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

The Baudelaire children are orphans with a large fortune.  They will inherit the fortune when the eldest daughter, Violet, comes of age.  Until that time the orphan's fortune is managed by Mr. Poe.  Mr. Poe's poor judgment is usually to blame for placing the Baudelaire orphans in dangerous and inappropriate circumstances.

But this time they are on their own.

The Baudelaires came to be at the Heimlich Hospital because they were escaping from the VFD villagers.  The villagers wanted to charge the orphans with murder and burn them at the stake.

The children ran out into the hot dusty landscape until they found the Last Chance General Store.  There they met with a cheerful group of volunteers who were headed for the hospital.

At the hospital the orphans find shelter and employment.  Their job is to help organize the Library of Records.  The orphans have learned that the library may have a file which contains important information about their parents.  It seems that there is a possibility that one of their parents may have survived the conflagration which destroyed their home.

Of course the evil Count Olaf arrives to harass the orphans.

In one dramatic scene, Klaus and Sunny must perform a cranioectomy on Violet. (Sounds dangerous!)

Can Violet invent a way for the children to escape?
Can Klaus remember some helpful information from a book he once read?
Can Sunny use her sharp teeth to chew their way to safety?

In the end, the orphans are in extreme danger.  And I am on to the next book.


                                              

The Vile Village by Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: In a fictitious village.

First Sentence:  No matter who you are, no matter where you live, and no matter how many people are chasing you, what you don't read is often as important as what you do read.

This novel is the seventh in the author's thirteen book series entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

The only happy event in this series of unfortunate events that has happened to the Baudelaire orphans was when the orphans met the Quagmire triplets.  Both sets of children were attending a boarding school when the evil Count Olaf showed up to harass the Baudelaires.  When the triplets tried to help the Baudelaires,  the triplets became captives of Olaf.

Since then, the orphans have felt a sense of responsibility towards the triplets.

In this episode of the series, the Baudelaires have arrived at the village of V.F.D.  They chose to travel to this village, because the name of the village, V.F.D., matches a clue that was given to the orphans by the triplets.

The village believes that it takes a village to raise a child.  Yet, when the orphans arrive, the villagers prove to be poor guardians for the orphans.

Soon the orphans receive clues that the Quagmires are close by.  After a murder occurs, the evil count makes his appearance.

Once again he is in disguise so the adults don't recognize him.  The count frames the orphans for the murder.  Unfortunately, the only punishment for being a rule breaker in V.F.D. is burning at the stake.

Will the children escape with their lives?

A very exciting story - now on to the next book!

                                                                   

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket

Genre: Children's Literature

Setting: in a large apartment building. in the city the Orphans are from.

First Sentence: The book you are now holding in your two hands right now - assuming that you are, in fact, holding this book, and you have only two hands - is one of the two books in the world that will show you the difference between the word "nervous" and the word "anxious."

This book is the sixth in the author's thirteen book series entitled "A Series of Unfortunate Events."

In this episode of the series, the Baudelaire orphans have been left with a wealthy couple.  Jerome and Esme' Squalor live in a seventy-one room penthouse at the top of an extremely tall apartment building.

Jerome Squalor does not like arguments, and will agree to anything to avoid an argument.  His wife Esme' goes along with any new fad.  As this story begins, light is "out" and orphans are "in."  Thus the apartment is dark.  And the Squalors have three orphans.

The Baudelaires are worried:
Their friends, the Quagmire triplets, have been captured by the evil Count Olaf.
They know that Olaf will appear.
They know that he will be in disguise.
They know that the adults won't recognize him.
They know that it is up to them to unmask him.

So, the orphans set out to find Olaf's hiding place. While searching they make a surprising discovery.

And they uncover a few clues to the over all mystery of the series.

And like all of the other books in the series.

There is no happy ending.