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 Daniel O. (age 12)


The Bad Beginning

If you were wondering, this book is about three orphans whose house burned down in a fire. They were then sent to live with their new guardian, but they could tell from the beginning that this fellow wasn't very nice. The only thing he let them do was work. He treated them like workhorses. But they found out that he wanted their fortune. But they couldn't get it until Violet, the oldest of the three, was old enough. She liked to invent things. She could make anything if she tried. Another character was Klaus, the brother who liked to read. He knew a lot because of it. Then there was Sunny, she liked to bite things because she had been teething. But the orphans discover his evil intentions and they try to prove it.

This book was very interesting because the elements that the author comes up with blow me away. I just think to my self I would never be able to come up with that. I liked this book because it was very clever. The author just thinks up fantastic problems for the children to over come. My favorite character is Klaus he is really smart and when they don't know how to do something they ask him. I wish I were like him. This book is the first of the series. They all have something in common. In all the books the guardian, (Count Olaf) dresses up as different people trying to get the fortune. I was really curious through out the entire book and I couldn't put it down.

You should read this book, because these books are really good. It's like once you start you can't stop. If you are in fifth grade through adult you will love this book. You might be interested in the problems they face and how they overcome them. So read this book and discover how the children will prove what their guardian is doing.