
THE BEATRICE LETTERS by Lemony Snicket Illustrated by Brett Helquist Category: Action-Adventure Age Recommendation: Grades 6+ Release Date: 9/1/06 Publisher: HarperCollins Reviewed by: Jennifer Wardrip, aka "The Genius" Rating: 4 Stars If you've been following Lemony Snicket's A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, then you've undoubtedly read of Beatrice Baudelaire. Who she is, exactly, is a mystery. And although this book is entitled THE BEATRICE LETTERS, don't think that you'll finally learn who Beatrice is. You won't. In fact, there's not a whole lot you'll learn about anything or anyone having to do with the series. Don't get me wrong. THE BEATRICE LETTERS is fun. It's gorgeously packaged. It comes with a poster, a dossier of sorts that contains letters to Beatrice and letters from Beatrice. It has ingenious pop-out letters that you can use to attempt to decode a number of anagrams. It has business cards. It has pictures of a metal tool and a paperweight. It has, in fact, all manner of beautifully put together items that tell you nothing. For the ultimate A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS fan, this is a book you must include in your collection. For the bored fan, this is a book that will provide you with hours of hair-pulling frustration as you attempt to decipher clues that seem to have no answer. For the mid-line fan, this is a book that just looks pretty. For cleverness, ingenuity, and presentation, THE BEATRICE LETTERS gets 5 Stars. For content, or at least helpful content, the book gets 3 Stars. Overall, a 4 Star read, but one I would recommend most strongly to the biggest Baudelaire devotee. |