THE BAD BEGINNING by Lemony Snicket
    Illustrated by Brett Helquist
    Category:  Action-Adventure
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  9/30/99
    Publisher:  HarperCollins
    Reviewed by:  Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius"
    Rating: 4 Stars


    After already having seen the movie version of A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, I decided to invest in
    reading the books. Book one, THE BAD BEGINNING, only took me an hour to finish, and it was an enjoyable, if
    dark, read.

    The Baudelaire children--Violet, Klaus, and Sunny--are left orphaned after a mysterious fire destroys their home and
    kills their parents. Taken into custody by Mr. Poe, the executor of their parents' estate, they learn that their parents' will
    states that they must be cared for by a relative. The closest relative, unbeknown to the children, is Count Olaf, an actor
    and the leader of a theatre troupe who lives in a dilapidated house on the other side of town.

    Things, of course, only go from bad to worse after the children move into Count Olaf's home, which is strangely
    covered inside and out with drawings and representations of a strange looking eye. Count Olaf even has a tattoo of the
    same image on his ankle. As the Count hatches a scheme to gain control of the Baudelaire fortune, which the children
    are not privy to until Violet comes of age, the children are alternately scared of their new "parent" and determined to
    find a way out of their dreadful situation.

    I enjoyed this walk on the dark side, and plan on reading Book two in the series later today. That said, however, I
    think it depends on your child and his or her maturity as to whether this would be a good read for them or not.
    Although the reading material is suitable for around eight years old and up, the book is dark-natured, and might scare
    some children. If they've already seen the movie, they might be prepared for its darkness; if the movie depiction scared
    them, then hold off on the book for awhile.
A Series of Unfortunate Events Bk. 1:
The Bad Beginning
by Lemony Snicket