MotherReader is on the ball and has already reviewed A Series of Unfortunate Events #13: The End. And, Nancy at Journey Woman has shared some select quotes. I'm a bit behind on my reading and, instead, have subcontracted this review to my ten-year-old daughter, Anna. She works for cheap and has long loved A Series of Unfortunate Events.
So here goes:
A Series of Unfortunate Events #13: The End
Reviewed by Anna, 10
The end to A Series of Unfortunate Events is very confusing.
In a way, The End is two books in one, but one of the two books is only a chapter long.
The Baudelaire orphans get shipwrecked on an island, where everyone wears white robes and drinks coconut cordial. Their leader has hurt feet and can't walk. Weapons, books, and mechanical items go to the dangerous side of the island. Their leader, Ishmael, says that everything is eventually washed up on the island.
While Sunny, Violet, and Klaus are there, they find out that their parents had once been on the island. Count Olaf ends up with them, and he tries to poison everyone with a dangerous mushroom. But, he realizes, if he poisoned them, he would also poison himself. Eventually, they discover Ishmael is a fraud (he doesn't have hurt feet) and has a secret library, kitchen, and a use for all the weapons.
The end of The End is really in "another book." There’s an “about the author” page, a couple of blank pages, then a title page, dedication page, and table of contents, and then a last chapter. The ending is very vague. It discusses Beatrice, who is Lemony's niece (and the books are always dedicated to her), and in A Series of Unfortunate Events is Kit Snicket's daughter.
You have now arrived at the ending of the review of The End, which was a pretty good book.
In a way, The End is two books in one, but one of the two books is only a chapter long.
The Baudelaire orphans get shipwrecked on an island, where everyone wears white robes and drinks coconut cordial. Their leader has hurt feet and can't walk. Weapons, books, and mechanical items go to the dangerous side of the island. Their leader, Ishmael, says that everything is eventually washed up on the island.
While Sunny, Violet, and Klaus are there, they find out that their parents had once been on the island. Count Olaf ends up with them, and he tries to poison everyone with a dangerous mushroom. But, he realizes, if he poisoned them, he would also poison himself. Eventually, they discover Ishmael is a fraud (he doesn't have hurt feet) and has a secret library, kitchen, and a use for all the weapons.
The end of The End is really in "another book." There’s an “about the author” page, a couple of blank pages, then a title page, dedication page, and table of contents, and then a last chapter. The ending is very vague. It discusses Beatrice, who is Lemony's niece (and the books are always dedicated to her), and in A Series of Unfortunate Events is Kit Snicket's daughter.
You have now arrived at the ending of the review of The End, which was a pretty good book.
10 comments:
Ummm...
Comments left by unidentified persons, especially those to 10 year olds, are automatically deleted.
Great review Anna!
One thing I really liked about the extra chapter was that just when I thought that was it, there was more. It was like an encore at a concert, but unlike most concerts these days, it was unexpected.
You mention that Lemony Snicket dedicates all the books to Beatrice. I always thought that meant the Beatrice who was the mother to Violet, Klaus and Sunny, but having another Beatrice makes things confusing, doesn't it?
Thanks for the great review!
Thanks, Nancy. I'm not sure my Anna has all the Beatrices straight :)
But, I did want to post a review from a 10-year-old fan. I think she was kind of disappointed. If JKR does the same, I'm pretty sure her childhood will be ruined!
I like the thought that it is really two books, with one book being only a chapter.
Please let Anna know that it seems as if Lemony Snicket kept a lot of the mysteries unsolved so that he could tackle them in upcoming books. While they won't be about the Baudelaires, he definitely has one about some of the VFD mysteries and has hinted at books that overlap the Baudelaires's story. So, I don't think the end is really the end after all.
Kids can be so literal, can't they MR?
I solicited her review, knowing I'd never get to "The End," without asking her ahead of time what she thought. I found it interesting that she, unlike adult readers, was a little offended that there wasn't an End as promised.
I suggest, after reading THE END, to read THE BEATRICE LETTERS. Not only read it, but study the poster, the images, and...well...everything. Maybe the end of A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS, but not the end of the story by any means.
I'll get her The BEATRICE LETTERS, Monica. I thought maybe they'd help.
Yes, the Beatrice Letters was great. I read that before The End, so I had some clues ahead of time.
Purchasing tomorrow, Nancy!
My daughter Jenny read it the instant she got in from school on the friday and finished it late that night. She had read the Beatrice letters the week before, had not understood the clue, but on reading the End, it clicked into place. Her reading of the end of The End was very dark, though, so I think I'll have to read it myself to see if it can really be right. (Not clear from Anna's lovely review, but then it is hard to write about the end of The End without spoiling, no?)
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