Chapter Books A to Z: U is for Unfortunate Events

Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events was a very strange series about a set of orphaned children who are placed under the care of a very strange uncle named Olaf. He is solely interested in their inheritance and tries to off them on a regular basis after they are taken away from him. Olaf follows them around, as does quite a bout of bad luck, hence the series title.

Each child has a talent. Violet, the oldest, has a knack for inventing things. Klaus, the middle child, loves to read to find out information. Sunny, the baby, has extremely sharp teeth that can bite into just about anything.


The series is extremely dark and odd, yet strangely intriguing. I found myself devouring each one and anxiously anticipating the next one when I made my way through them.

The movie starring Jim Carrey made the series even more popular. It is an okay rendition of the book. As is usually the case, the books are much better than the movie. I am tempted to reread them.