The End has come. The end, that is, of the wildly popular A Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket. It seems appropriate, given all the sinister happenings in the series, that The End, the final book in the series, was released on Friday, the 13th in October of 2006. In addition to The End, HarperCollins also released a complete boxed set of all of the books in the series. If you are the parent or teacher of an 8-12+ year old, you probably already know all about the series.
However, if you are not familiar with A Series of Unfortunate Events, here are some things you should know. The plots of all of the books revolve around the trials and tribulations of the three Baudelaire children, who are orphaned in the first book in the series. They endure countless trials and tribulations, accidents, and unfortunate events, all of which are recounted with joyful gloom by the narrator/purported author, Lemony Snicket.
Snicket constantly reminds young readers that they could be doing something more enjoyable than reading the books. However, the fact that the books are full of dark humor and unfortunate events seems to be what has made them so popular with young readers. The actual author of the series, Daniel Handler, has a wry tougue-in-cheek style of writing, filled with literary allusions, but it is his creation Lemony Snicket who has received the bulk of the media attention.
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The End
In reference to
The End, Lemony Snicket warned that
This book is the last in A Series of Unfortunate Events, and even if you braved the previous twelve volumes, you probably can't stand such unpleasantries as a fearsome storm, a suspicious beverage, a herd of wild sheep, an enormous bird cage, and a truly haunting secret about the Baudelaire parents.
What fans of
A Series of Unfortunate Events hope to find out (I won't give away the answers) is what finally happens to the evil Count Olaf, who has plagued the Baudelaire orphans through all thirteen books, and to the orphans who have had more than their fair share of trials and tribulations.
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Complete Wreck
A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Complete Wreck consists of hardcover copies of all thirteen of the books in the series, encased in a box covered with artwork by Brett Helquist, who has illustrated all of the books in the series. The books, in order, are:
- The Bad Beginning
- The Reptile Room
- The Wide Window
- The Miserable Mill
- The Austere Academy
- The Ersatz Elevator
- The Vile Village
- The Hostile Hospital
- The Carnivorous Carnival
- The Slippery Slope
- The Grim Grotto
- The Penultimate Peril
- The End
My Recommendation: Buy The Complete Wreck if. . .
If your child is a big fan of the series, a complete set of
A Series of Unfortunate Events might be an excellent birthday or holiday gift. This is not an inexpensive gift. However, it could be the perfect gift for the child who enjoys reading and rereading favorite books and values owning books.
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