1 The Bad Beginning

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Spaghetti Book Club - Book Reviews by Kids for Kids

The Bad Beginning

Written by Lemony Snicket

Illustrated by Brett Helquist


Reviewed by Brittnee S. (age 10)


The Bad Beginning

In The Series of Unfortunate Events, there are three kids who travel different places to find a home. In the first book called The Bad Beginning, the three kids named Violet, Klaus, and Sunny have a home with two wonderful parents. They live in a mansion. One day the children were at the beach when their dad's friend comes along to tell them their parent's just died in a fire at their house.

Their parents left a fortune for the kids to have. The parents said,"No one is allowed to spend it until Violet is of age." They had to find somewhere to live, so they had to live with their uncle, Count Olaf. When Count Olaf heard about the fortune, he plans to steal the money. He tries to marry Violet so he can take the fortune. Does he marry Violet? Does he lose? That's for you to find out!

I really like this series of ten books, because they are full of adventure and mysteries. The author is funny because in the middle of the book he starts telling us not to read any more! Next, the author begins to talk about himself. The books are sometimes sad, too.

It is quite hard to figure out my favorite part. The character I like is Violet, because she is a very good inventor. She invents stuff to get her out of trouble. For example, her sister was locked in a cage in a tower. Violet makes some sort of hook to use to climb up and save her sister.

This book isn't like any book I've ever read in my whole life! It is just so hard to explain; I just love the author's writing.

There are usually illustrations before every chapter. The illustrations usually hint at what is going to happen. As I read this book I felt just like the characters did. For example: when I was reading about the wedding I felt just like Violet was feeling, sad. You wouldn't expect a bride to be sad.

So if you like adventures, this is the series for you! I would recommend this book to every grade from 2nd to 12th grade.