TheErsatz Elevator
A Series Of Unfortunate Events 6
Lemony Snicket
HarperCollins2001
259p hc $17.95
0-06-440864-7
Itturns out that Count Olaf is actually hiding in an extremely ersatzelevator
shaft (ersatz means something serving as a substitute) inside 667 Dark
Avenue. Dark Avenue is actually the Beaudelaire orphans new 76 room
penthouse that they share with their new guardians, Jerome and Esme
Squalor.
InitiallyJerome does not believe the orphans when they tell him that Gunther
is really Count Olaf, even with hisphony bad accent. Olafs' latest disguise is
as an auctioneer, named Gunther, forthe In auction which a realbig event
and all the money made goes to Esme.
Whenthe orphans do find the elevator and climb down with their makeshift
rope made of neckties, extension cords and some curtain pulleys, guess who
they find at the bottom of the shaft? The two Quagmire triplets!
The Quagmires also have a lot in common with the Beaudelaires.
Both families were almost filthy rich; both had their parents die in a fire.
But when they get down there, theQuagmires are locked in a cage with a lock
even Violet Beaudelaire cant pick.
ButViolet has an idea.
tongs and bake them at500 degrees Celsius, until they glowed white,
to use as welders. They then wentback down, only to find the Quagmires
had gone
Thetale continues with many twists with the Beaudelaire orphans trying to fight theevil plans of Olaf, braving cold porridge and trying to solve the mystery ofV.F.D.
Ienjoyed this story immensely, and will give it seven out of ten.
I think thatthe story can be read by most ages from eight upwards.
Connor, Year 6, Canberra,ACT
TheVile Village
A Series Of Unfortunate Events 7
LemonySnicket
HarperCollins2001
256phbk $17.95
Crows,secret clues, meals of bread and water in their deluxe cell, and a very uglyfountain are all in the gripping continuation of the lives of the Baudelairechildren. In this episode, they spend time with the people from the village ofV.F.D. Poe (the family Banker) asked the children to choose a village from alist he gave them.. The name of V.F.D, being the same as the secret that theQuagmires told them, was on that list. It was their choice. The children did notknow that V.F.D stands for Village of Fowl Devotees. In their continuingflight from Count Olaf., the children are grudgingly housed with the localhandyman Hector, possibly the only friend they have in V.F.D. They try to findthe Quagmires, but are plagued with misfortune and wretched misery in theirsearch. They succeed, but not before they are cast under suspicion of foul playthemselves.
Youmust read this exciting instalment of A Series Of Unfortunate Events. Ienjoyed this story very much.
Connor, Year 6, Canberra, ACT
ASeries Of Unfortunate Events 8: The Hostile Hospital
LemonySnickett
HarperCollins2001
255phc
Ourstory starts with the Baudelaire orphans walking across the barren plains infront of the Last Chance General Store. When they walk in, they are met by afriendly shopkeeper, Al, and they ask if they can send a telegram on the morse-codetelegrapher. But when the paper deliverer comes, and he realizes they areactually the three wrongly accused children the Daily Punctilio, they think the kids are really murderers. So theyrun out of the shop sharpish, and hitch a ride with the Members of V.F.D.,(Volunteers Fighting Disease) who believed in the saying that No News is GoodNews. Violet then inquired about Jacques Snicket, asking if there had ever beenanyone like him, but the answer was no. They were told they needed a library ofrecords.
Atthis point, the story turns to Heimlich Hospital; a half-finished building. Eventhe sign was half beautiful, fancy gold lettering on a white sign while theother half of the sign was cardboard cellotaped on with Hospital written on it in ballpoint pen.
Almostimmediately after the children reached the ground, the Head of Human Resources,Babs, made an announcement saying she wanted volunteers to work in the Libraryof Records, so the Baudelaires went to see Babs about the job.
Whenthe children got to the Library of Records, they met Hal, their new supervisor.A few minutes after they got their jobs, (Violet and Klaus filing and baby Sunnyhelping Hal find his lost keys) Hal remembered he had seen their names before inthe file on the Snicket fires. So that night when the Baudelaires had gone tothe un-finished half of the hospital (Sunny had suggested they sleep there) theyremembered that Hal's eyesight wasnt what it used to be. They had this thesisthat maybe they could switch Hal's Key-chain with Violet's hair ribbon and lotsof chewed up paperclips.
Thenext day in the antechamber they put their plan into action. They switched thekey-chain with the decoy and when Hal was gone, they snuck into the Library. Butwho should find them but Esme Squalor
Igive this book 6 out of 10 because its a clever book, and some bits are a bitwitty. For fans of the series.
Connor,Year 7, Canberra, ACT
