THE REPTILE ROOM 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
As the Baudelaire children--Violet, Klaus, and Sunny--narrowly escape the marriage scheme of Count Olaf and his theatre
troupe of THE BAD BEGINNING, we pick up with Mr. Poe once again leading the children to the home of another
relative. Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, a revered member of the Herpetological Society, is a man who has spent his life
studying snakes. As the children arrive at his home, via Lousy Lane, they are at first leery of "Uncle Monty" and his
REPTILE ROOM. They soon learn, however, that their newfound Uncle is a kind man, providing them each with their own
room and entertaining activities that they each enjoy--space and materials to invent for Violet, books and a reading nook for
Klaus, and plenty of biting material for Sunny.
As the orphans settle in to their new abode, Uncle Monty teaches them about snakes, most especially his new discovery, the
Incredibly Deadly Viper. As we learn that said snake is a misnomer--the word "misnomer" here meaning "a wrong
name"--the children become excited about the upcoming trip to Peru to study new snake life. Unfortunately, as most
everything in the lives of the Baudelaire children is, Uncle Monty's new assistant, Stefano, is no other than Count Olaf in
disguise.
Alas, just as with their previous adventures, no one listens to the children's concerns until it is too late. As Stefano aka Count
Olaf threatens the children into silence, he begins to hatch his evil plan, which includes getting rid of the snake-loving doctor
and absconding to Peru with the children, where he can wait for Violet to come of age, grab her fortune, and dispose of the
children.
Saved in the nick of time--yet again--by a convoluted series of events, we find the children once again looking for a kind
relative to care for them. As THE REPTILE ROOM ends, Mr. Poe drives off into the sunset with a miserable Violet, Klaus,
and Sunny, and we wait to see which new series of unfortunate events will befall the children.
Another quick read, THE REPTILE ROOM is highly recommended depending on the maturity of your child. Another dark
tale of misery and woe, this book is highly entertaining for those who understand that it's fiction.
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
As the Baudelaire children--Violet, Klaus, and Sunny--narrowly escape the marriage scheme of Count Olaf and his theatre
troupe of THE BAD BEGINNING, we pick up with Mr. Poe once again leading the children to the home of another
relative. Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, a revered member of the Herpetological Society, is a man who has spent his life
studying snakes. As the children arrive at his home, via Lousy Lane, they are at first leery of "Uncle Monty" and his
REPTILE ROOM. They soon learn, however, that their newfound Uncle is a kind man, providing them each with their own
room and entertaining activities that they each enjoy--space and materials to invent for Violet, books and a reading nook for
Klaus, and plenty of biting material for Sunny.
As the orphans settle in to their new abode, Uncle Monty teaches them about snakes, most especially his new discovery, the
Incredibly Deadly Viper. As we learn that said snake is a misnomer--the word "misnomer" here meaning "a wrong
name"--the children become excited about the upcoming trip to Peru to study new snake life. Unfortunately, as most
everything in the lives of the Baudelaire children is, Uncle Monty's new assistant, Stefano, is no other than Count Olaf in
disguise.
Alas, just as with their previous adventures, no one listens to the children's concerns until it is too late. As Stefano aka Count
Olaf threatens the children into silence, he begins to hatch his evil plan, which includes getting rid of the snake-loving doctor
and absconding to Peru with the children, where he can wait for Violet to come of age, grab her fortune, and dispose of the
children.
Saved in the nick of time--yet again--by a convoluted series of events, we find the children once again looking for a kind
relative to care for them. As THE REPTILE ROOM ends, Mr. Poe drives off into the sunset with a miserable Violet, Klaus,
and Sunny, and we wait to see which new series of unfortunate events will befall the children.
Another quick read, THE REPTILE ROOM is highly recommended depending on the maturity of your child. Another dark
tale of misery and woe, this book is highly entertaining for those who understand that it's fiction.
A Series of Unfortunate Events Bk. 2:
The Reptile Room
by Lemony Snicket
The Reptile Room
by Lemony Snicket