The second book in the Series of Unfortunate Events series, this is no less silly than its immediate predecessor. If anything, Mr. Snicket has probably increased the level of humor that will be appreciated mostly by adults:

"Ackroid!" Sunny said, which probably meant something like "Roger!"

Is the sort of line that's sure to have many a parent snickering, while their children look at them oddly. There are also some gloriously deadpan asides to the reader (even if some people manage to miss the point):

It is now necessary for me to use the rather hackneyed phrase "meanwhile, back at the ranch." The word "hackneyed" here means "used by so many writers that by the time Lemony Snicket uses it, it is a tiresome cliche." "Meanwhile, back at the ranch" is a phrase used to link what is going on in one part of the story to what is going on in another part of the story, and it has nothing to do with cows or horses or with any people who work in rural areas where ranches are, or even with ranch dressing, which is creamy and put on salads.

This is not your average children's book. Thank God.

As to the plot, well, there's not much to say that Kate and Pam haven't already said. The Events are Unfortunate, and part of a Series chronicling the unfortunate story of the unlucky Baudelaire children.

I wouldn't pay ten bucks to own this, but it's a fun read out of the library. And I'll definitely read more of these.

(Originally posted on The Library of Babel.)