The Carnivorous Carnival facts for kids
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| Author | Lemony Snicket (pen name of Daniel Handler) |
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| Illustrator | Brett Helquist |
| Cover artist | Brett Helquist |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | A Series of Unfortunate Events |
| Genre | Gothic fiction Absurdist fiction Mystery |
| Publisher | HarperCollins |
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Publication date
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October 28, 2002 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 286 |
| ISBN | 0-06-441012-9 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 49952611 |
| Fic 21 | |
| LC Class | PZ7.S6795 Car 2002 |
| Preceded by | The Hostile Hospital |
| Followed by | The Slippery Slope |
The Carnivorous Carnival is the ninth book in the exciting A Series of Unfortunate Events series, written by Lemony Snicket. This book continues the sad and strange adventures of the Baudelaire orphans. They are still trying to escape the evil Count Olaf and uncover the secrets of the mysterious V.F.D.
Contents
The Story's Adventure
After escaping from the events in The Hostile Hospital, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire find themselves in a car trunk. They arrive at the Caligari Carnival, hidden inside Count Olaf's car. Olaf and his acting group are looking for Madame Lulu. She is a mysterious fortune-teller who owns the carnival.
Olaf hopes Madame Lulu can tell him where to find the Snicket files. These files supposedly hold important information about V.F.D. While Olaf talks with Lulu, the Baudelaires sneak out of the trunk. They disguise themselves to blend in with the carnival's freak show. Violet and Klaus pretend to be a two-headed person named 'Beverly' and 'Elliot'. Sunny pretends to be 'Chabo the Wolf Baby', a child supposedly half-wolf.
Meeting the Freaks
Madame Lulu accepts the Baudelaire children into the show. They meet three other performers in the 'Freak Caravan'. These are Hugo, who has a hunchback, Kevin, who can use both hands equally well (he is ambidextrous), and Colette, a contortionist. The Baudelaires don't realize that these people feel self-conscious about their unique abilities. Every day, they have to perform and be laughed at by small audiences.
A Dangerous Plan
The next day, Count Olaf makes a scary announcement. He says that one of the performers will be chosen to be fed to a group of lions. He hopes this will make the carnival more popular. Olaf tells Esmé Squalor that Madame Lulu has predicted something. She said the last Baudelaire parent is at a V.F.D headquarters in the Mortmain Mountains.
Violet, Klaus, and Sunny decide to explore Lulu's tent. She claims to predict the future using a glass ball. However, they discover she tricks Olaf with a machine that creates special effects. She either guesses the answers or finds them in her secret library. Madame Lulu then enters and scolds the children for being in her tent. She is then shamed into revealing her real name: Olivia.
Lulu's Secret
Olivia explains that she lives by the motto 'Give People What They Want'. This is why she gives Olaf the information he wants. She reveals that she is part of V.F.D. The Baudelaires tell her who they really are. Olivia admits she only guessed that one of their parents was in the Mortmain Mountains.
The children make a deal with Olivia. They agree to take her with them when they go to the Mortmain Mountains. In return, she promises not to tell Olaf their true identities. The three children return to the Freak Caravan. There, Esme Squalor, who is jealous of Madame Lulu, talks to Hugo, Kevin, and Colette. She convinces them to feed Madame Lulu to the lions the next day. In exchange, they will become Olaf's new helpers.
Escape and Danger
Soon after, Violet starts fixing the carnival's roller coaster. She hopes they can use it to travel to the Mortmain Mountains. But then, the Baudelaires are forced to take part in the lion show. Count Olaf announces that Violet and Klaus (as Beverly and Elliot) will be fed to the lions. They manage to delay the feeding and cause a commotion. This allows them to escape. However, Olaf's bald associate and Olivia fall into the lion pit and die.
It becomes clear that their roller coaster plan won't work. Olaf then sets fire to most of the carnival. He invites the Baudelaires to join him on his trip to the Mortmain Mountains. Believing this is their only way to get there, they agree. They ride in a caravan attached to Olaf's car. However, Olaf then reveals that Lulu told him they were the Baudelaires in disguise. He takes Sunny. The newly hired freaks cut the rope connecting the car and caravan on a steep cliff. This leaves Violet and Klaus in a very dangerous situation at the end of the book.
Other Versions of the Book
Translations
This book has been translated into many different languages around the world:
- Brazilian Portuguese: "O Espetáculo Carnívoro" (The Carnivorous Show), 2004
- Finnish: "Tihutöiden tivoli" (The Carnival of Mischiefs), 2005
- Italian: "Il carosello carnivoro", 2005
- Greek: "Το Σαρκοβόρο Τσίρκο"
- Japanese: "肉食カーニバル", 2005
- Korean: "살벌한 유원지" (Bloody Amusement Park), 2009
- Norwegian: Tragedie på tivoli (Tragedy at the Carnival), 2004
- Russian: "Кровожадный Карнавал" (The Bloodthirsty Carnival), 2004
- French: La Fête Féroce (The Ferocious Festival)
- Turkish: "Karnaval Ucubeleri" (Carnival Freaks)
- Polish: "Krwiożerczy karnawał" (The Bloodthirsty Carnival)
TV Show Adaptation
The Carnivorous Carnival was also made into episodes for the television series. It became the ninth and tenth episodes of the second season. This show was produced by Netflix.
See also
In Spanish: El carnaval carnívoro para niños
