The Beatrice Letters
by Lemony Snicket
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.
