Introducing an Author: Lemony Snicket

Introducing an Author: Lemony Snicket

His Website

Genres: Young Adult Fantasy, Children’s Fiction

My first experience reading Lemony Snicket was when I was a child. It was one of my first chapter books, and A Series of Unfortunate Events, and one of the first books I read by myself. The very Bad Beginnings was in a sense, one of my beginnings into reading mysteries and adventures. I remember I was obsessed up to until the fifth book, googling who is Lemony Snicket, yet at the time only websites I was only allowed on was his website, that did not give away the Authors true name and since Wikipedia was still in its infancy, in a way, it wasn’t something that I used a lot.

Recently, like a few years ago, I found out his name is Danel Handler, however for this purpose I am only going to stick to his pen name Lemony Snicket. Maybe in the future if I read any of his works, I’ll go in depth into him, however my adventures with him have only been through Mr. Snicket, so thus, he shall remain with that name for the remainder of this post.

What led me to falling in love with Snicket is the whimsical way of exploring horrible events. My life at the time of reading the books as a kid, felt like it was falling apart, and the books brought a sense of comfort. Even though those horrible things were happening, the Bauldeire children always came out on top. They were changed, sometimes damaged, but they were still alive and together. As an only child who was going through my first loss of a grandparent, someone who was like the brightest in my life, these books brought a sense of comfort. Although I was dealing with someone at such a young age, I wouldn’t come out unscathed, but I would come out of it. That sense of comfort is something I will love these books for, for all my days.

I recently began re-reading the series to finally finish it and as an adult it is sometimes hard to get through because of the repetitive restating and revaluating of words. It's slightly difficult sometimes to read, however I do keep in mind that it’s there because these books are aimed at children and they need that. Some of these words that are being restated and said many different ways might be words they never heard before. It’s a good habit for them to understand and as adults, I can appreciate the effort by the author.

As of the making of this post, the most recent book under the pen name was in 2024. I am unsure if he will continue to write, however he has not yet retired the name.

Overall, I think anyone who wants to introduce their children to mystery, this might be the author to start with. It can be dark, but it’s a good start to explore subject matters that can be scary but teach you to work through it. For adults themselves, these books are good if you want a nostalgic kick, or something that is easy to read. Lemony Snicket is the author to go with.

Books list

Series:
Series of Unfortunate Events

1. The Bad Beginning
2. The Reptile Room
3. The wide Dindow
4. The Miserable Mill
5. The Austere Academy
6. The Ersatz Elevator
7. The Vile Village
8. The Hostile Hospital
9. The Carnivores Carnival
10. The Slippery Slope
11. The Grim Grotto
12. The Penultimate Peril
13. The End

All the Wrong Questions

1. Who could that be at this hour?
2. When did you see her last?
3. Shouldn’t You Be in School?
4. Filed Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents
5. Why is this Night Different from all other nights

Celebration

1. Party Party Year

Other works:

1. Poison for Breakfast.