Series of Unfourtanate Events: The Miserable Mill
“The Hook”
“Lunch is over!’ he shouted. ‘Back to work, everyone! Everyone except you, Baudelamps! The boss wants to see you three in his office right away!’The three siblings put down their debarkers and looked at one another. They had been working so hard that they had almost forgotten about meeting their guardian, whatever his name was. What sort of man would force small children to work in a lumbermill? What sort of man would hire a monster like Foreman Flacutuno? What sort of man would pay his employees in coupons, or feed them only gum? (Pages 42&43)
"For above the pale lipstick on Shirley’s face, and below the blond wig on Shirley’s head, was a pair of shiny, shiny, eyes." (Page 114)
Recommendation
Has your life been filled with misery from the start? Well, if you have no idea what I am talking about ask the Baudelaire’s they will understand. Their parents perished in a fire, which lead them to the evil grasp of their relative Count Olaf who will do anything to steal their fortune. From the Bad Beginning, to the Reptile room or Murder, and the Wide Window,the Baudelaire orphans will take you on a journey. You will experience old friends, mysterious guardians, and a whole bunch of gum!
Blog by: Maddy S.
Genre: Suspense
Book by: Lemony Snicket
Sword Quest
HOOK
“The archeopteryx raised his sword with his claws cleaved down mightily. Wind-voice ducked with a nimble spin to the left. As torch lights turned into streaks in his vision, he felt a warm, certain glow in his heart. Something solid materialized in his claws. He gripped it instinctively and brought it up in under claw as he snapped out of his spin, the torch lights all jumped higher …. He closed his eyes. Then all of a sudden a great burst of energy swelled his heart. He let it run down his leg, to his foot, to the rod he was holding. Maldeor’s sword crashed down on it…. The ivory sheath of the true hero’s sword shattered into a thousand pieces….There had never been two hero’s swords. There was only one. Maldeor felt a great pile of sand slipping through his claws as his sword crumbled and dissolved into dust. The ceiling above them shivered and cracked, letting in the early sunlight. Chunks of stone rained down!”
(pg .237-239)
RECOMMENDATION
Have you ever dreamed of birds who are able to fight with swords in a mythical land? If you have, then you will love this book. Wind-voice has to fight off the evil villan, Maldeor until the hero comes. Then Wind-voice finds out that he's actualy the hero. Read this book to experience his miraculous journey with loss of friends and the discovery of gems. Will he get to the hero sword in time?
Blog by: Chris N.
Author: Nancy Yi Fan (12 years old)
Genre: Fiction/Suspense
Series of Unfortunate Events: The Erstaz Elevator
"The Hook”
“At the end of the dark hallway, the Baudelaire children found an assortment, so that the expression ‘cul-de-sac’ here means at the end of the dark hallway the Baudelaire children found an assortment of mysterious circumstances. If the Baudelaire’s had been able to choose a French expression that would be waiting for them at the of the hallway, they might have chosen one that meant by the time the three children rounded the last dark corner of the corridor, the police had captured Gunther and Quagmire’s triplets, or at least the Baudelaire’s were delighted to see that the hallway led straight to the Veblen Hall, where the In Auction was taking place” (page 204)
Recommendation
If you have just picked up this book, it is too late to put it down. In the Series of Unfortunate Events “The Erstaz Elevator” Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire encounter a darkened staircase, a red herring, some friends in a scary situation, three mysterious initials, a liar with an evil scheme, a secret passageway, and parsley soda. If you have read the previous books of the Baudelaire children and you’re seeking to find out their next adventure open up this book right now, but be careful don’t fall into your own world of Unfortunate Events!!!!!
Book By: Lemony Snicket
Blog By: Maddison P. and Eliza B.
Genre: Mystery/Suspense
Series Of Unfortunate Events The Bad Beginning
Hook
“Mr. Poe took off his top hat, which had made his head look large and square in the fog, and stood for a moment, coughing loudly into a white handkerchief. Violet and Klaus moved forward to shake his hand and say how do you do…..’Yes, it is a nice day,’ Mr. Poe said absently, staring out at the empty beach. ‘I’m afraid I have some very bad news for you children’…..The children didn’t say anything….. “Have perished in a terrible fire.”(Pages 6, 7, and 8)
“Hello hello hello,’ Count Olaf said in a wheezy whisper. He was very tall and very thin, dressed in a gray suit that had many dark stains on it. His face was unshaven, and rather than two eyebrows, like most human beings have, he just had one long one. His eyes were very, very shiny, which made him look both hungry and angry. (Page 22)
“Count Olaf was standing in the doorway, watching Violet and Klaus as they searched the room. His eyes were shining brighter than ever had, and he was still smiling like he’d just uttered a joke…. ‘Yes’, Count Olaf continued, ‘it certainly is strange to find a child missing. And one so small, and helpless.’ (Pages 102 & 103)
Recommendation
I’m sorry to say this book you are about to read is extremely unpleasant! The three Baudelaire’s misfortune will never reach its end.You will experience deaths, to in loco parentis, and finding a way out of the evil eye. The three Baudelaire’s experience misfortune throughout the entire book. You will be on the edge of your seat waiting to find out if the orphans survive their deadly journey!
Blog by: Julia & Maddy S.
Book by: Lemony Snicket
Genre: Mystery / Suspense
Deep and Dark and Dangerous
The “Hook”
“My paintings, Dulcie wailed. ‘ Someone broke into the studio and wrecked everything. All my work, my paintings, my brushes’. Emma clung to her mother ‘Mommy, Mommy’! She sobbed ‘Don’t cry! I can’t believe it’ I whispered. ‘Who would do something like that’? ‘Come and look’ Dulcie ran back down the stairs to the studio. Emma and I hurried after her. The rain pelted us, and we held tightly to the railing, afraid of slipping on the wet steps. From the studio’s doorway, Dulcie gestured to the wreckage. It looked as if someone thrown buckets full of sand and lake water on the floor. Paint tubes were scattered tops off, colors oozing out. Brushes stiff with dried paint littered the work table. Splattered with ugly shades of reds, and yellows. In black paint and large clumsy letters, someone had scraled;
I’M WATCHING YOU TELL THE TRUTH!
Emma clutched her mother’s hand and pointed at the painting. ‘Bones’ she whispered.(Page 80)
Recommendation
A lie that changed her life. Ali finds a picture with her mom, Aunt Dulcie but who is the third? Ali takes a trip to her Aunt’s cottage for the summer where a tragedy strikes. Ali and her young cousin Emma meet Sissy. Sissy is another girl who lives near her cottage. Sissy also has a secret. Could it have something to do with the old photograph? Ali is dying to find out! Though if she’s not careful, that’s exactly what might happen to her… die, that is!!!!!!!!!!
Genre: Mystery/ Suspense
Blog By: Maddie P. and Julia C.
Author: Mary Downing Hahn
