Series of Unfortunate Events #6: The Ersatz Elevator, A

Amazon.com Review:
Fans of Lemony Snicket's wonderful Series of Unfortunate Events won't be surprised to find that in the sixth installment the three Baudelaire orphans' new home proves to be something of a mixed bag. As our ever sad but helpful narrator states, "Although 'a mixed bag' sometimes refers to a plastic bag that has been stirred in a bowl, more often it is used to describe a situation that has both good parts and bad parts. An afternoon at the movie theater, for instance, would be a mixed bag if your favorite movie were showing, but if you had to eat gravel instead of popcorn. A trip to the zoo would be a very mixed bag if the weather were beautiful, but all of the man-and woman-eating lions were running around loose." And so it is for the bad-luck Baudelaires. Their fancy new 71-bedroom home on 667 Dark Avenue is inhabited by Esmé Gigi Geniveve Squalor (the city's sixth most important financial advisor), and her kindly husband, Jerome, who doesn't like to argue. Esmé is obsessed by the trends du jour (orphans are "in"), and because elevators are "out," Sunny, Violet, and Klaus have to trudge up 66 flights of stairs to reach the Squalors' penthouse apartment. (Other unfortunate trends include pinstripe suits, aqueous martinis--water with a faint olive-y taste--parsley soda, and ocean decorations.) As the book begins, the Baudelaires are not only frightened in anticipation of their next (inevitable) encounter with the evil, moneygrubbing Count Olaf but they are also mourning the disappearance of their dear new friends from The Austere Academy, the Quagmires. It doesn't take long for Olaf to show up in another of his horrific disguises... but if he is on Dark Avenue, what has he done with the Quagmires? Once again, the resourceful orphans use their unique talents (Violet's inventions, Klaus's research skills, and the infant Sunny's strong teeth) in a fruitless attempt to escape from terrible tragedy. Is there a gleam of hope for the orphans and their new friends? Most certainly not. The only thing we can really count on are more gloriously gloomy adventures in the seventh book, The Vile Village. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

audio books:
These audio books help children that are having trouble with the written word. I also use them in the car, so each trip we hear more of the story. The kids love them and I think it makes them interested in reading.

New twists. I like.:
Ah, now nice! Our favorite little orphans-of-tragedy get to hang out with some rich relatives in a snobby apartment building! Snicket introduces a nice new landscape, more mystery, and some developments that are very nice shockers. Not the best of the series, but nice-enough pacing and a (not-so)-pleasant story to keep up the action and plot.

Lemony Snickets writes a classic that isn't just a "kid's" book:
In which the Baudelaires have the best adventure yet, with a plot twist that caught my breath and almost put a tear in my eye. These are books with children as the main characters, but aren't "just" kids books. Read and enjoy. Followed by: The Vile Village

Great Book!:
My son is really enjoying reading this series of books. He doesn't read much so it says a lot when he continues to read night after night.

Ersatz Elevator Exceptionally Enjoyable:
Ersatz Elevator is another in the Series of Unfortunate Events series. As with the previous stories, it does not disappoint. I love reading about the Baudelaires and their ability to overcome adversity. I will continue to read the series even though warned that the situations are often dire and could upset my stomach. Signed, An avid but anonymous reader