The Carnivorous Carnival

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

There is nothing to be found in the pages of A Series of Unfortunate Events but misery and despair.

You still have time to choose another international best-seller to read. But if you must know what unpleasantries befall the charming and clever Baudelaire children read on ...

The Carnivorous Carnival contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than even the most imbalanced meal. To avoid causing discomfort, it would be best if I didn't mention any of the ingredients of this story, particularly a confusing map, an ambidextrous person, an unruly crowd, a wooden plank and Chabo the Wolf Baby. Your time might be better filled with something more palatable such as eating your vegetables or feeding them to someone else.

In the tradition of great storytellers, from Dickens to Dahl, comes an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted.

Despite their wretched contents, 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' has sold 60 million copies worldwide and been made into a Hollywood film starring Jim Carrey. And in the future things are poised to get much worse, thanks to the forthcoming Netflix series starring Neil Patrick Harris. You have been warned.

Are you unlucky enough to own all 13 adventures?

The Bad Beginning

The Reptile Room

The Wide Window

The Miserable Mill

The Austere Academy

The Ersatz Elevator

The Vile Village

The Hostile Hospital

The Carnivorous Carnival

The Slippery Slope

The Grim Grotto

The Penultimate Peril

The End

And what about All The Wrong Questions? In this four-book series a 13-year-old Lemony chronicles his dangerous and puzzling apprenticeship in a mysterious organisation that nobody knows anything about:

'Who Could That Be at This Hour?'

'When Did you Last See Her?'

'Shouldn't You Be in School?'

'Why is This Night Different from All Other Nights?'

Lemony Snicket was born before you were and is likely to die before you as well. He was born in a small town where the inhabitants were suspicious and prone to riot. He grew up near the sea and currently lives beneath it. Until recently, he was living somewhere else.

Brett Helquist was born in Ganado, Arizona, grew up in Orem, Utah, and now lives in New York City. He earned a bachelor's degree in fine arts from Brigham Young University and has been illustrating ever since. His art has appeared in many publications, including Cricket magazine and The New York Times.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 5-8-Lemony Snicket has outdone himself in tantalizing foulness in this ninth offering in the series (HarperCollins, 2002), narrated by Tim Curry. In their quest to discover if one of their parents has survived a tragic fire, the Baudelaire orphans are driven literally (hidden in the trunk of a car) and figuratively to the hinterlands, a barren landscape, where only the Caligari Carnival exists. Unable to hide in these surroundings from their archenemy, Count Olaf, who covets their fortune, Violet and Klaus disguise themselves as the Two Headed Person, and tiny Sunny is transformed into Chabo the Wolf Baby, to apply for jobs at the Carnival. They are hired by the owner, Olaf's former girlfriend, for the House of Freaks. The siblings try to uncover the answers to their questions while living with Colette, a contortionist, Hugo, a hunchback, and Kevin, who is convinced that being ambidextrous is freakish. Of course, things don't go well for the children, and they are almost thrown to underfed, vicious lions. Tim Curry's narration is extremely creative. Listeners will especially appreciate Count Olaf's fiendishly evil voice, Madame Lulu's fake Hungarian accent, and the Count's present girlfriend's trendy drawl. This audiobook will be a favorite with middle school fans of Lemony Snicket, and a good choice for school and public libraries.-Carol Y. Barker, Wheelerville School, Caroga Lake, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 4^-8. In the ninth volume in the popular Series of Unfortunate Events, the Baudelaire orphans, who have arrived at the Caligari Carnival, disguise themselves in order to investigate a mysterious fortune-teller. Violet and Klaus masquerade as a two-headed carnival freak, and baby Sonny masquerades as Chabo the Wolf Baby, and they share in the humiliation of the other "freaks" (an ambidextrous man, a female contortionist, and a man with a hunchback). When one of the performers is to be thrown to hungry lions, the children find themselves faced with a terrible dilemma. Children faithful to the series won't be surprised when the book does NOT end happily; nor will they find it unusual that Snicket continues to entertain with witty asides and a satirical point of view. The overall story moves along nicely toward the conclusion of the planned 13-volume series; at the same time, the author successfully uses this book as a platform to communicate a good deal about individuals who belittle others and what it feels like to be on the end of the horrible barbs. --Susan Dove Lempke

Horn Book Review

Ever-victimized Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire try to evade their nemesis Count Olaf by joining a carnival as sideshow freaks. The older siblings masquerade as a two-headed person, while Sunny dons a beard and pretends to be half-wolf. The series is formulaic but remains darkly humorous with Snicket providing his unique first-person commentary about bad things happening to good children. From HORN BOOK Spring 2003, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.