Lemony Snicket bibliography facts for kids
This page lists all the books written by Lemony Snicket. Lemony Snicket is actually the pen name (a fake name used by an author) of a real writer named Daniel Handler. This list only includes books he wrote as Lemony Snicket, not as Daniel Handler. Snicket has written 26 fiction books, including the popular A Series of Unfortunate Events series with thirteen books. His stories have been translated into over 40 languages and have sold more than 65 million copies around the world!
Contents
A Series of Unfortunate Events
A Series of Unfortunate Events is a series of children's novels. It tells the sad story of three orphans: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire. Their lives become very difficult after their parents die in a terrible house fire. The children are sent to live with a distant relative, Count Olaf. But Olaf is a mean man who abuses them and openly tries to steal their family's money.
After the Baudelaire children are taken away from Olaf by their parents' lawyer, Arthur Poe, Olaf starts to chase them relentlessly. He causes trouble and danger for many people they meet. The entire series is narrated by Lemony Snicket himself. He often mentions his mysterious, lost love, Beatrice. Both Snicket and Beatrice, along with Snicket's family, are part of a big secret organization. The children only know it as "V.F.D."
Since the first book, The Bad Beginning, came out, these books have become very popular. They have received great reviews and sold millions of copies. The series has even been made into a movie, a video game, and a TV show on Netflix. The thirteen books have sold over 65 million copies and are available in 41 languages.
The Bad Beginning
The Bad Beginning is the first book in the series. After the Baudelaire children learn their parents died in a fire, their banker, Arthur Poe, places them with their distant cousin, Count Olaf. Olaf is cruel and tries to steal their inheritance. He forces the children to be in his theater play, with Violet as the bride. Klaus learns that if Olaf marries Violet, he will get their money.
When Klaus confronts Olaf, the count traps Sunny in a birdcage. He threatens her life if the children don't cooperate. During the play, their kind neighbor, Justice Strauss, acts as the judge. She doesn't know she is actually making the marriage real. After the play, Olaf releases Sunny. But the orphans expose his plan to Justice Strauss, who cancels the marriage. Mr. Poe tries to arrest Olaf, but he and his theater group escape. Olaf promises to steal the Baudelaires' fortune and harm them. Strauss offers to take care of the children. But Mr. Poe says their parents' will only allows relatives as guardians.
The Reptile Room
The Reptile Room is the second book. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny go to live with their distant relative, Dr. Monty Montgomery. He is a herpetologist, someone who studies reptiles. Monty travels to find new reptile species. His newest discovery is the Incredibly Deadly Viper. This snake is large and smart, but harmless.
Monty's assistant, Gustav Sebald, has disappeared. A new assistant named Stephano arrives, just in time for a trip to Peru. Stephano is actually Count Olaf in disguise. The Baudelaires try to warn Monty. When Monty finally suspects Stephano, he is killed by venom from one of his own snakes. Olaf plans to take the children to Peru. But Mr. Poe arrives and learns of Monty's death. Olaf, still disguised as Stephano, convinces Poe that a snake killed Monty.
The children can't convince Poe that Stephano is Olaf. Violet searches Olaf's things for proof. Sunny and Klaus pretend to be attacked by the Incredibly Deadly Viper. Violet finds a syringe of snake venom. Olaf escapes before Poe can arrest him.
The Wide Window
The Wide Window is the third book. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are sent to live with Josephine Anwhistle. She is a widow who lives on a cliff over Lake Lachrymose. Josephine's husband, Ike, was eaten by the leeches of Lake Lachrymose. Josephine has many fears, but not of the lake. The lake can be seen through a large window in her library.
When a hurricane warning comes, Josephine goes to town for supplies. There, she meets Captain Julio Sham, who is actually Count Olaf in disguise. When Josephine returns, the Baudelaires hear the library window break. They find a note from Josephine leaving them to Sham. Arthur Poe arrives and starts working on the custody papers with Olaf (still disguised).
The children find the message "Curdled Cave" hidden in the note. They find the cave on a lake map. But they must flee when the hurricane destroys Josephine's house. They steal one of Sham's rental boats and head through the hurricane to the cave. Josephine is hiding there. She explains Olaf threatened her life. The Baudelaires make her return with them as proof for Poe. On the way, Olaf stops them. He takes them aboard his boat and pushes Josephine into the lake. She is eaten by the leeches. Still, the Baudelaires convince Poe that Sham is Olaf. The count escapes again.
The Miserable Mill
The Miserable Mill is the fourth book. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny go to live with Sir. He is a co-owner of a lumber company. Mr. Poe doesn't know they are forced to work unpaid at the mill. They become friends with an optimistic worker named Phil and the other co-owner, Charles. The mill's mean foreman, Flacutono, breaks Klaus's glasses.
When Klaus returns from the eye doctor, he acts strangely. When his glasses break again, the children visit the eye doctor, Dr. Georgina Orwell. They find she is a hypnotist working with Count Olaf. Olaf is disguised as her receptionist, Shirley Sinoit-Pécer. Olaf plans to hypnotize Klaus into hurting Charles. Then, he (as Shirley) will offer to become the children's guardian. Violet stops the plan by figuring out how to unhypnotize Klaus. In the process, Orwell is killed. But Sir still wants to give custody to Shirley.
Poe arrives and learns the children were forced to work. He takes them away from Sir. The children convince Poe that Shirley is Olaf. But the count escapes with Flacutono, who was one of his helpers. Poe explains he can't keep finding new guardians. The children will have to go to boarding school.
The Austere Academy
The Austere Academy is the fifth book. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are sent to Prufrock Preparatory School. It's run by the strict Vice Principal Nero. The children are treated badly and live in a shack. They befriend fellow students, the triplets Duncan and Isadora Quagmire. The Quagmires lost their brother and parents in a fire, like the Baudelaires. All five children are constantly teased by their annoying classmate Carmelita Spats.
The Quagmires learn about the Baudelaires' problems. They notice how similar their situations are. The triplets start researching Count Olaf in the school library. Olaf soon arrives disguised as Genghis, the new gym teacher. He starts "Special Orphan Running Exercises" (S.O.R.E.) for the Baudelaires. He forces them to run laps every night. Unable to stay awake during the day, the children start failing their classes.
Finally, Nero announces that if they don't pass a special exam, they will be expelled. They would then be tutored privately by Genghis. The night before the exams, the Quagmires disguise themselves as the Baudelaires. They use a bag of flour for Sunny. They take their places for S.O.R.E., letting Violet, Klaus, and Sunny study. The next morning, Poe arrives, and the children pass their exams. When they convince Poe that Genghis is Olaf, the count escapes in a black car. Two of his helpers are driving. The Baudelaires see that he has kidnapped the Quagmires. Duncan tries to tell the Baudelaires a secret he and his sister found about Count Olaf. But all the children can hear is "V.F.D."
The Ersatz Elevator
The Ersatz Elevator is the sixth book. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are sent to live with Jerome and Esmé Squalor. They are a rich couple living in a fancy apartment building. Jerome is kind to the orphans. But Esmé cares only about fashion. She is busy working with a man named Gunther on a fashion auction called the In Auction. When the children finally meet Gunther, they realize he is Count Olaf in disguise.
Olaf leaves the building without passing the doorman. The orphans search for a secret exit. They find an extra elevator door on the 66th floor. It leads to an empty elevator shaft. The children make a rope and climb down. They find a room where Duncan and Isadora Quagmire are trapped in a cage. The Baudelaires climb back up to find a way to rescue the Quagmires. But when they return, the triplets are gone.
The children go back and find Esmé. She tells them she is working with Olaf. Then she pushes them into the shaft, where they are caught in a net. Sunny climbs the shaft using her teeth and gets the rope. The children then climb down to the bottom. They find a tunnel leading to a secret door in the ruins of their old home. The children go to the In Auction to find Olaf and Esmé. At the auction, they find Mr. Poe and Jerome. The children expose Olaf and Esmé. To Jerome's sadness, the count announces Esmé is his girlfriend. Then the two villains escape. Jerome says he will take the orphans far away. But the Baudelaires don't want to leave the Quagmires. Jerome gives up custody back to Poe and leaves the children.
The Vile Village
The Vile Village is the seventh book. The Baudelaires are sent to a village called V.F.D. They think it has something to do with the secret the Quagmire triplets mentioned. The villagers treat the Baudelaires badly. But their guardian, Hector, is nice, though a bit scared. The children find rhyming messages once a day. They think the Quagmires are trying to talk to them.
The villagers find someone with a unibrow and an eye tattoo, like Count Olaf. But the children know it's not him. The townspeople decide to execute him. But the day before, the suspect is killed. Count Olaf blames the children. The children are arrested. They manage to escape jail and find the Quagmires. They had found the hidden message in Isadora's rhymes. The Quagmires escape with Hector in a hot air balloon Hector built. But the children are forced to flee the town on their own.
The Hostile Hospital
The Hostile Hospital is the eighth book. Now seen as murderers, the Baudelaires try to contact Mr. Poe by telegram. While waiting for his reply, they are recognized as criminals. They escape to Heimlich Hospital with a group of volunteers. At the hospital, they work for a man named Hal in the Library of Records. They try to find the "Snicket file," which has information about them.
Count Olaf becomes the head of the hospital and captures Violet. Klaus and Sunny later realize Olaf plans to harm Violet. So they rescue her by pretending to be nurses. Once Olaf and his helpers realize their plan is ruined, one of them sets the hospital on fire. The children are forced to escape in the trunk of Count Olaf's car.
The Carnivorous Carnival
The Carnivorous Carnival is the ninth book. The children travel to the Hinterlands after escaping Heimlich Hospital in Count Olaf's car trunk. This book takes place at the Caligari Carnival. It's run by Madame Lulu, a mysterious fortune teller. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny pretend to be carnival freaks. They get hired by Madame Lulu to try and find answers to their many questions.
The Slippery Slope
The Slippery Slope is the tenth book. The children travel to the Mortmain Mountains after escaping another fire at the Caligari Carnival. Sunny gets separated from Violet and Klaus. Violet and Klaus meet another volunteer, who they soon discover is Quigley Quagmire. He is the long-lost triplet of the Quagmire Family. He helps Violet and Klaus get to the destroyed VFD headquarters. With Violet and Klaus working at the burned headquarters and Sunny listening in on Count Olaf, the Baudelaires learn much more about the secret organization of V.F.D.
The Grim Grotto
The Grim Grotto is the eleventh book. The story happens in a submarine called the Queequeg. The Queequeg has only three crew members: Captain Widdershins, a member of V.F.D.; Phil, the chef (who was in "The Miserable Mill"); and Fiona, Captain Widdershins' stepdaughter. The Baudelaires join this crew on the submarine. They search for the sugar bowl, but they run into Count Olaf along the way.
The Penultimate Peril
The Baudelaire orphans go to Hotel Denouement. There they meet Kit Snicket, Lemony's sister. They pretend to be hotel staff and observers. The orphans must figure out who is a volunteer and who is a villain. While the orphans meet people from their past, the sugar bowl is being delivered. They must find out if a manager is a volunteer named Frank, or a villain named Ernest. The children encounter a harpoon gun, a rooftop sunbathing area, two mysterious initials (J.S.), three unknown triplets, and a strange curry dish.
The End
The End is the thirteenth book. In this story, the Baudelaires are stuck on a boat with Olaf. They are shipwrecked on an island. They discover its people are planning to rebel. Everyone on the island gets sick from a poisonous fungus called Medusoid Mycellium. This happens when the island's leader, Ishmael, shoots Olaf with a harpoon gun and hits the fungus Olaf was hiding. The islanders flee. Olaf dies. The Baudelaires survive by eating an apple with horseradish. There is a final chapter, "Chapter Fourteen," set a year later.
Other Unfortunate Events Books
The Unauthorized Autobiography
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (2002) is a made-up autobiography of Lemony Snicket. It was released with A Series of Unfortunate Events. This book tells the story of Snicket's childhood. It also talks about his being taken by V.F.D.. It uses letters, newspaper clippings, and other items.
The Dismal Dinner
"Mysterious Messages Concerning the Dismal Dinner" (2004), often called "The Dismal Dinner," is a short story series by Lemony Snicket. It connects to A Series of Unfortunate Events and happens before The Bad Beginning. The four-part series came out in 2004 with Lunchables. It helped promote the movie. The series describes a dinner party held by Bertrand and Beatrice Baudelaire (the Baudelaire parents) before they died. Each part has a clue. Together, the clues spell out: Olaf was there.
Snicket describes a dinner party where "at least two guests were disguised as desserts." As Bertrand Baudelaire is about to cut these desserts, and guests pass around "the sugar bowl," Sunny Baudelaire sees a man with a "very large and sharp" nose looking through the window. She shrieks, "Funcoot!" Snicket explains this means, "I believe I may have seen someone lurking outside." ("Al Funcoot" is a hidden name for Count Olaf). Klaus, having just read a book about teething, thinks Sunny is teething. Violet then creates a device using "a silver pie server and the ear of the snowman ice sculpture" to help Sunny's teeth. The figure in the window disappears, and Sunny calms down. Snicket concludes it was a "fateful event."
The Beatrice Letters
The Beatrice Letters (2006) is a collection of fictional letters. They are between Lemony Snicket, Beatrice Baudelaire (the Baudelaire children's mother), and a second Beatrice. It was released as part of A Series of Unfortunate Events. Letters between Snicket and the older Beatrice tell about their childhood, romance, and eventual separation. Letters from the younger Beatrice tell about the Baudelaire orphans' lives after The End.
13 Shocking Secrets you'll wish you never knew about Lemony Snicket
13 Shocking Secrets you'll wish you never knew about Lemony Snicket (2006) is a promotional pamphlet. It has thirteen "secrets" about Lemony Snicket. The last secret is found by solving a puzzle. It was sent out through the HarperCollins AuthorTracker email list and on the Lemony Snicket website. This was to promote The End. The day after it was published, HarperCollins announced that Lemony Snicket had finished writing The End, the final book. The last secret is also hinted at in the "Dear Reader" letter for The End.
Unfortunate Events Companion Books
The Blank Book
The Blank Book (HarperCollins, March 2004, ISBN: 0-06-058656-7) is the first of two commonplace books for the Unfortunate Events series. It is a 176-page hardcover journal.
Commonplace books are used in the series by many characters. These include the Quagmire family, Jacques Snicket, and Klaus Baudelaire. They use them to write notes about their experiences and discoveries.
The bottom of each page has quotes from A Series of Unfortunate Events. It also has drawings by Brett Helquist. There is also a sheet of Unfortunate Events stickers. The cover shows Count Olaf surrounded by fire, smiling and holding a pen.
The Notorious Notations
The Notorious Notations (February 2006, ISBN: 0-06-087235-7) is the second of two commonplace books. It is also 176 pages long, hardcover, and has quotes and drawings by Brett Helquist.
The cover shows a silhouette of Count Olaf's side profile.
The Puzzling Puzzles
The Puzzling Puzzles: Bothersome Games Which Will Bother Some People is a spin-off book. It was first published in 2004 to promote the movie Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. The original paperback book is 96 pages long.
The Puzzling Puzzles has puzzles related to both the books and the film. Many puzzles are tricky or can't be solved. For example, one asks about the color of a maître d''s socks in a black and white picture. The last page reveals the book is a training manual for V.F.D.
The second U.S. edition (2006) has a new cover (from artwork in The Bad Beginning: Special Edition). It also has sixteen new puzzles and an extra introduction by R.. In the United Kingdom, another edition came out in February 2007. It has the new cover but not the new U.S. content.
All the Wrong Questions
All the Wrong Questions is a four-book series by Lemony Snicket. It tells stories that happen before A Series of Unfortunate Events. The series shows Snicket's early days as a young investigator. He works with his chaperone, S. Theodora Markson, in a town called Stain'd-by-the-Sea.
Who Could That Be at This Hour?
Who Could That Be at This Hour? is the first book in All the Wrong Questions. Lemony Snicket, a member of a secret group, tells about his time as an apprentice. In this book, Snicket and his chaperone must find a lost statue called The Bombinating Beast.
When Did You See Her Last?
When Did You See Her Last? is the second book in All the Wrong Questions. Snicket, still an apprentice, is again asked to investigate. He must search for the Knight's only daughter, Ms. Cleo Knight.
Shouldn't You Be in School?
Shouldn't You Be in School? is the third book in All the Wrong Questions. Snicket continues his apprenticeship with a secret organization. He is asked to investigate a case involving fires. However, he suspects the people who hired him. Two more fires happen in the book. Snicket also stops a plan to burn down the library.
Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights?
Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? is the fourth book in All the Wrong Questions.
File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents
Released on April 1, 2014, File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents is a companion book for All the Wrong Questions. It's a collection of short stories. Snicket tells about thirteen investigations he did while in Stain'd-by-the-Sea. Readers are encouraged to try and solve each mystery before looking at the answer in the back.
Other Works by Lemony Snicket
13 Words
13 Words is a picture book. It has illustrations by Maira Kalman. It tells a story using only 13 words: bird, despondent, cake, dog, busy, convertible, goat, hat, haberdashery, scarlet, baby, panache, and mezzo-soprano. It incorrectly says a haberdashery is a hat shop.
The Baby in the Manger
The Baby in the Manger is a non-religious Nativity story.
The Composer Is Dead
The Composer Is Dead is a murder mystery about a composer's death. It has text by Snicket and music by Nathaniel Stookey. It takes place in an orchestra. It's designed to help children learn about the different parts of an orchestra. It was created as a more modern version of the famous Prokofiev piece, Peter and the Wolf.
Horseradish
Horseradish: Bitter Truths You Can't Avoid is a book of "wit and wisdom" quotes. Some quotes are from A Series of Unfortunate Events.
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming is about an angry latke (a potato pancake) during Hanukkah. It escapes from a hot frying pan. It meets various Christmas symbols, like fairy lights and a candy cane. These symbols don't know much about Hanukkah customs. The latke tries to teach them about the Jewish holiday. But its efforts are always useless, and it runs away frustrated each time.
The Lump of Coal
The Lump of Coal is a Christmas story. A living lump of coal falls off a barbecue grill. It wishes for a miracle. The lump of coal is artistic and wants to be an artist. It goes looking for something. First, it finds an art gallery. It thinks the art is by other lumps of coal. But when it goes in, it sadly finds the art is by humans who use lumps of coal. It then finds a Korean restaurant called Wongs Korean Restaurant and Secretarial School. But it goes in and finds that everything used must be 100% Korean. (Though the owner doesn't use a Korean name or proper Korean spices.) The lump of coal continues down the street. It meets a man dressed like Santa. The lump of coal tells the man its problem. The man gets an idea. He suggests putting the lump of coal in his spoiled son's stocking. The son finds it and is thrilled. He wanted to make art with coal. So he makes portraits, and he and the lump of coal become rich. They move to Korea and open a real Korean restaurant and an art gallery.
New American Haggadah
The New American Haggadah (edited by Jonathan Safran Foer, translated by Nathan Englander) is a modern translation of the Haggadah. Lemony Snicket is one of the people who wrote comments for it.
The Dark
Released in 2013, The Dark was illustrated by Jon Klassen. It's about a boy named Laszlo. He overcomes his fear of the dark by facing what he is afraid of.
29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy
29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy, illustrated by Lisa Brown, Daniel Handler's wife, came out in February 2014. It focuses on a mysterious pharmacy. It is set in Stain'd-by-the-Sea, the same town from All The Wrong Questions.
Goldfish Ghost
Goldfish Ghost, also illustrated by Lisa Brown, was released in May 2017. This picture book tells what happens after a pet goldfish dies.
The Bad Mood and the Stick
The Bad Mood and the Stick, illustrated by Matthew Forsythe, came out in October 2017. This picture book shows how moods (both good and bad) can spread through simple actions.
Poison for Breakfast
Poison for Breakfast, released in August 2021, follows Lemony Snicket himself. He finds a note under his door saying he had poison for breakfast.
See also
