Children's Books > Lemony Snicket Children's Books > less than 5 GBP

Advantages: Great story line and hard to put down
Disadvantages: Sad and rather upsetting

...and upsetting, you cannot put the book down ones you start reading. After the Bauldilaires parents die in a fire in their mansion they are left with a great fortune, only one problem. Count Olaf. This greedy man will do anything to get this fortune off of the Baulilaire siblings. When they are put in his care they are made to share a room, do lots of chores daily and have cardboard boxes as wardrobes. Can life get any worse? Well , yes. A you carry ... Read review

Advantages: Great storyline, extremely exciting and it just makes you keep listening.
Disadvantages: It can be hard to follow at times.

I love the Series of Unfortunate Events and have done so since I got read the 7th one first for some reason. So this is the 13th (unlucky for some) and last in the series. It is written by Lemony Snicket who has followed the Baudelaires and recorded their stories. He tells the tale of the three siblings; Violet, Klaus and Sunny. Anyone who has read the previous 12 volumes will know that they have been put in some darstadly and sinister situations ...
...occured because of the devious Count Olaf who is after their immense fortune. It is a very worthy end to the series. It is full of action, horror, suspense and it is quite funny at times. It is a great read, but it is complicated even if you have read the other 12 but you will need to read them to know what is happening. ... Read review

Advantages: NON
Disadvantages: NON

...So they went out to the beach one day and they could see a person in the distance the man came up to them and said " I am sorry to in form you but your parents have died in a traggic accsident." They went back to the to the house and it was all bernt down with there parents inside the house. Then they had to be put into care with count olaf who has ploted to take the bodilare fortune and to kill anyone who gets in his way. So that is a small summery ... Read review

Advantages: interesting plot; sympathetic characters
Disadvantages: fantastical scenes could detract from boy's growth

Solomon has a lot to be concerned about: his mother has left the family; his father is an alcoholic; and his (unrecognised) dyslexia means that he is bullied by his teacher and finds school difficult. When everything becomes too stressful, he escapes to the graveyard, and when plans to demolish his hiding place begin, he is forced to confront his problems. The first section of the novel focuses on Solomon's family, gradually revealing his difficulties ...
...this section, I found the subsequent fantastical section in the graveyard spoilt my enjoyment of the novel. Although the writing was descriptive I found it difficult to sustain my engagement and lost concentration. (It is worth noting that I am not the target audience for this novel and that I generally dislike fantastical tales.) Although it is tempting to interpret this section as a metaphorical account of Solomon's struggle to take positive control ... Read review

Advantages: Deals with issues real teenagers could experience and offers support
Disadvantages: mainly for older teenage readers

An interesting and absorbing book that deals carefully and delicately with numerous sensitive issues which teenagers could possibly face in todays society. I recommend it both to teenagers and parents who wish to buy it as a gift for a loved one. I would certainly read it again and my sister who is slightly younger than me has also borrowed it to read and also enjoyed it thoroughly. The storyline is interesting and thought provoking and I felt genuine ... Read review