Amazon.com Review

What would you do if you found yourself trapped in a runaway caravan hurtling down a precipitous mountain slope? Fourteen-year-old Violet, the oldest orphan of the three Baudelaires, decides to try to slow the velocity of the caravan with a drag-chute invention involving a viscous combination of blackstrap molasses, maple syrup, maraschino liqueur, peanut butter, etc. If plummeting to their death weren't scary enough, Violet and her brother Klaus have been separated from Sunny, their baby sister who is in a car headed in the opposite direction up the mountain with the "facinorous" Count Olaf, his "villainous and stylish" girlfriend Esmé Squalor, and their creepy sidekicks. Do Violet and Klaus find Sunny on the mountain? How will they survive the treacherous, snow-covered peaks with not much more than a ukulele and a bread knife, especially in the face of the "organized, ill-tempered" snow gnats? Will they finally unearth the mystery of the V.F.D.? Will they find out if one of their parents is alive after all? The suspense! As ever, the Baudelaires' unfolding tale of woe is sprinkled with Lemony Snicket's ridiculous, hilarious observations such as "Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant with odd waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like." The tenth book in The Series of Unfortunate Events takes readers through the Mortmain Mountains to the churning waters of the Stricken Stream with all the coexistent horror and silliness a Snicket fan could hope for along the way. (Ages 9 and older) --Karin Snelson

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. It's clear throughout that Snicket hasn't lost his sense of the absurd or his momentum in this "Book the Tenth." As in previous episodes, the adventures of the Baudelaire sibs spin out with the zest and cliff-hanger dramatics of old-fashioned serials. Left hurtling down a mountain at the close of The Carnivorous Carnival (2002), Klaus and Violet concentrate here on saving themselves; rescuing baby Sunny, who is once more in the clutches of the evil Count Olaf; and continuing their campaign to put a stop to Olaf's evil doings once and for all. Of course, they have their work cut out for them, but with a surprising ally, they stumble through the usual assortment of clues and secret messages that actually seem to get them one step closer to their ultimate goal. Characters are true to form, ridiculous and fun, and, once again, the wry telling is pitch-perfect, with plenty of the joyful wordplay and the quirky imaginative touches Snicket's legions of fans expect. Stephanie Zvirin
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