What a great read!
I can totally see why this series is so huge and was made into a tv series on Netfix. It is epic! 
It is one of those stories that doesn't have a happy ending. It takes you where you don't want to go, but brings you out again. All of this is in good fun though.
Some pretty brilliant writing is  at play here. You are pulled so deep into the lives of these three children, hoping they are well taken care of in the end.
And now I want more!
It may be a while though, but I will definitely read on!

I have no idea why this book/series is so popular. I can see, sort of, why children may love it. Many of the books I loved as a kid were no better, and this has brave, clever orphans (boy AND girl), a cute baby sister, mean ugly villains, disbelieving adults, and a horrible house. The only thing it’s missing is a dog.

But this just doesn’t seem well-written to me. The characters are just caricatures. There’s nothing especially clever about the setup or the world the characters are placed in. There are none of the clever observations about human nature or winking humor or enjoyably silly word games that made Rowling’s books so appealing. I suppose some might find the little asides (by the way, that word means _______) funny and were obviously meant in jest, but I found them annoying. And the forced marriage device plot involving a 14 year old child, with the adult characters’ innuendos about how pretty she is and about the marriage night, was just plain disturbing, not to mention the implication that marriage, once committed to, even under duress, is a lifetime trap.

Hardcover version, picked up at a church rummage sale. I ought to put it in the library donation box, but I'm honestly considering dropping it in the recycle bin instead. 

I read this for the 2018 Halloween Bingo square Thirteen: any book that relates to bad luck, superstitions, including (but not limited to) black cats, ravens or crows, or the unlucky number 13, either in the title, series, book cover or page count.

I am puzzled, which as you probably know, means unable to understand, as to why this book is so popular. 

Its bad enough to be orphaned after a tragic fire but to then be forced to live with a skimming distant.... and I mean distant relative makes it that much worse. For the Baudelaire children, this is the predicament they find themselves in. Will they be able to outsmart and survive their stay with Count Olaf?

Pro: 

• I am in love with the Protagonist in this novel. Violet is a smart and creative young girl. She has the mind of an engineering mastermind. She can create anything and is not afraid to get dirty. Throughout the novel, she is in a constant state of imagining and wonder of how things work. Her younger brother, Klaus, is a researcher by heart and loves to read the most. He jumps at chances to learn and tries to solve problems through literature and knowledge. Both these characters are strong allies for children to connect with. 

• Throughout the book, difficult words are used to describe certain situations or emotions the children face. Although this is not unique to use a vocabulary slightly higher than the reader's comprehension at the time the act of defining the words in a vocabulary the reader would understand it is. I appreciated the clarification given along with it embedded in the story. So as not to appear as a vocabulary word. This will help children build a vocabulary and how the word is used correctly. 

• The book's narration is vivid and clear in the description. The surroundings and characters are depicted in a language children will understand and appreciate. 

Con:

• I was not anticipating the book being so dark. At times I asked myself " what was I reading?"There are instances of child abuse, child bride, death and hints at other mature topics. I think this book would have to be either read with a parent or read by the parent beforehand. 

Lexile Level: 1010L

This book by Lemony Snicket is the first in an imaginative and whimsical series featuring three orphans who encounter several conflicts or 'unfortunate events'. The series features the villian Count Olaf who the children must fight against using their own specific gifts or skills. The book has several messages that would be great to introduce to students. The young characters' determination would be a great subject of discussion that could lead to written reading responses. This series would be perfect for upper elementary students to read independently or as part of literature circles. Students would enjoy discussing the books with their peers. The book features many vocabulary words which students could discuss together in their groups. The series also gives students examples of highly descriptive writing which could be used to inspire them to make their own writing more expressive.