Lemony Snicket: File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents
by Lemony Snicket, published 2014
“In Stain’d-by-the-Sea the only remaining police officers were a married couple known to most as the Officers Mitchum and known to me as no help at all.”
True confession: this is the first Lemony Snicket children’s book I have ever read. I’m not sure why I have avoided them, but I’m glad I finally picked up at least one. It’s the newest in the series, and an apt place to begin.
This particular Lemony Snicket is really a collection of ‘short stories’ or mysteries that the detective Lemony Snicket has to solve. They are all very light-weight, sometimes silly, and none take great brain power to figure out. In some ways, the book is like a simple puzzle book. However, for fans of Lemony Snicket (and I assume given the longevity of the series, there are many), it’s probably a fun read.
One aspect of this children’s book that I appreciate is that while there is not much more than entertainment in the book, it is well-written, and the characters are interesting. My guess is that these are good books to entice reluctant readers to dive into reading. I’ll check out one of the full-length books and see if my theory holds. Meanwhile, a good children’s book to pass the time away on a cool evening.
