The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans!
Series of Unfortunate Events Series
Author: Lemony Snicket
Illustrator: Brett Helquist
Book 1 in the Series of Unfortunate Events series
Pages: 176
Published: 1999
Age: 9+
Dear Reader,
I'm sorry to say that this book is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.
In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.
It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from avoiding this book down at all costs and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
Book Sense Book of the Year Honor Book for Children's Literature (2001); Nene Award (2003)
About the Series of Unfortunate Events Series
Books in series order
- 1.The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans!(1999)
- 2.The Reptile Room: Or, Murder!(1999)
- 3.The Wide Window: Or, Disappearance!(2000)
- 4.The Miserable Mill(2000)
- 5.The Austere Academy(2000)
- 6.The Ersatz Elevator(2001)
- 7.The Vile Village(2001)
- 8.The Hostile Hospital(2001)
- 9.The Carnivorous Carnival(2002)
- 10.The Slippery Slope(2003)
- 11.The Grim Grotto(2004)
- 12.The Penultimate Peril(2005)
- 13.The End(2006)
Reading age: 9+ years
This series should be read in order.
Imagine tales so terrible that as many as fifty million innocents have been ruined by them - tales so indelibly horrid that the New York Times bestseller list has been unable to rid itself of them for seven years...
This darkly humorous adventure series tells the miserable tale of the ill-fated Baudelaire siblings and their menacing relative Count Olaf. When the children receive the terrible news that their parents have died and their home has been burned to the ground, Violet, Klaus and Sunny are shipped off to live with a distant relative - the greedy and revolting Count Olaf - whose only interest lies in wheedling the poor children out of their substanial inheritance.
But unbeknowst to the conniving Count, these children are not so easily thwarted. Violet is one of the greatest inventors of her time, Klaus is a bookish-type with immense general knowledge and little Sunny possesses four razor-sharp teeth which she will not hesitate to use if threatened. The despicable Count has met his match with these three orphans! Read on if you dare...