The Penultimate Peril facts for kids
Front cover of U.S. edition
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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 18, 2005 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 353 |
| ISBN | 0-06-441015-3 |
| Preceded by | The Grim Grotto |
| Followed by | The End |
The Penultimate Peril is the twelfth book in the popular A Series of Unfortunate Events collection by Lemony Snicket. This exciting story continues the adventures of the Baudelaire orphans as they try to uncover secrets and avoid the evil Count Olaf. It's a key part of the series, leading up to the very last book.
Contents
The Story Begins: A Secret Mission
The Baudelaire orphans—Violet, Klaus, and Sunny—are on a journey with Kit Snicket. Kit is a member of a secret organization called V.F.D. and is expecting a baby. Their destination is the Hotel Denouement, a place where V.F.D. members are supposed to meet.
Kit tells the children they will pretend to be concierges at the hotel. Their job is to watch a mysterious person known only as 'J.S.' They need to figure out if J.S. is a good V.F.D. volunteer or a villain.
Meet the Hotel Managers
The Hotel Denouement is run by three identical brothers: Frank, Dewey, and Ernest. It's a bit confusing because Frank is a V.F.D. volunteer, and Ernest is on the side of the villains. Dewey is a legendary figure, so mysterious that many people don't even believe he exists! Dewey has a special book that contains all the important information about V.F.D.
First Day on the Job
On their first day, the Baudelaire siblings split up to help the hotel guests. Each orphan meets one of the managers and learns something new.
- Violet helps Esmé Squalor and Carmelita Spats. They ask her to bring them a harpoon gun.
- Klaus helps Charles and Sir, who own the Lucky Smells Lumbermill. He takes them to the sauna. He also hangs flypaper outside a window for one of the managers.
- Sunny helps Hal (from Heimlich Hospital) and teachers from Prufrock Preparatory School: Vice-Principal Nero, Ms. Bass, and Mr. Remora. Sunny also locks a V.F.D. device onto a laundry room door. This turns it into a "Vernacularly Fastened Door."
All the guests are talking about the mysterious J.S. Later, the siblings share what they heard and saw.
Unraveling the Mystery
Klaus puts the clues together. He thinks Carmelita Spats wanted the harpoon gun to shoot down a bird. This bird might be carrying the sugar bowl, a very important item that both volunteers and villains want. Sunny heard Hal and a manager talking about the sugar bowl and the Medusoid Mycelium, a dangerous fungus. Klaus believes the flypaper was meant to catch the bird, and the sugar bowl would then fall into the laundry room, which Sunny had made into a special V.F.D. door.
Soon after, a man approaches them. He reveals himself to be Dewey Denouement, the third brother! He tells them that the real safe place is actually the hotel's reflection in the pool. The hotel's design is backward, so its reflection shows the true words and meaning. Underneath the pool is an underwater catalog with vital V.F.D. information.
Then, Jerome Squalor and Justice Strauss arrive. They have joined V.F.D. because they thought messages meant for J.S. were for them.
A Deadly Encounter
As the four head back into the hotel, Count Olaf suddenly appears. He threatens Dewey with a harpoon gun, demanding the code to access the special door. The children try to stop him. Just then, List of A Series of Unfortunate Events characters#Mr. Poe walks in. Surprised, Olaf shoves the harpoon gun into the Baudelaires' hands. They drop it, and it accidentally fires, killing Dewey.
A crowd gathers, and the Baudelaires and Olaf are sent to a strange trial. For the trial to be legal, everyone except the judges must be blindfolded. The other two judges are later revealed to be The Man with a Beard But No Hair and The Woman With Hair But No Beard, two very dangerous villains.
During the hearing, the Baudelaires realize it's a trick! Olaf plans to kidnap Justice Strauss, get the sugar bowl, and burn down the hotel with everyone inside. Klaus figures out that the sugar bowl is actually under the pool and tells Olaf the door code. Violet finds a boat for everyone to escape the authorities. Sunny helps set the hotel on fire. This fire is a signal to V.F.D. that their meeting is canceled because of the enemies. The Baudelaires and Justice Strauss try to warn everyone about the fire, but it's not known if anyone escapes.
Escape to the Sea
Soon after the authorities arrive, the orphans and Olaf are about to leave by sea. Justice Strauss tries to stop them. Sunny, feeling sorry, gently bites Justice's hand. The four then sail away from the area and out to sea, leaving the burning hotel behind.
Other Languages
This book has been translated into many languages around the world:
- Dutch: "Het voorlaatste gevaar" (The Penultimate Peril)
- Finnish: "Ratkaisun rajoilla" (At the Borders of Solution), WSOY, 2006, ISBN: 951-0-32089-7
- French: "Le Pénultième Péril" (The Penultimate Peril)
- German: ”Das haarsträubende Hotel” (The Outlandish Hotel)
- Japanese: "終わりから二番目の危機" (The Second-to-Last Crisis), Soshisha, 2007, ISBN: 978-4-7942-1623-6
- Norwegian: ”Den tolvte trussel” (The Twelfth Threat), Tor Edvin Dahl, Cappelen Damm, 2006, ISBN: 9788202259754
- Persian: “خطر ما قبل اخر" (The Penultimate Risk)
- Polish: ”Przedostatnia pułapka” (The Penultimate Trap)
- Russian: "Предпоследняя передряга" (Penultimate Scrape), Azbuka, 2007, ISBN: 5-352-02021-5
TV Show Adaptation
The Penultimate Peril was made into episodes for the television series on Netflix. It forms the fifth and sixth episodes of the third season.
See also
In Spanish: El penúltimo peligro para niños
