Read Aloud #1: The Bad Beginning

The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket
A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book the First


Pages: 162
Finished: Jan. 4, 2008
Reason for Reading: I have read the first three books in this series and thought the 7yo was old enough to enjoy them now.
First Published: 1999
Genre: Gothic mystery
Rating: 4/5

First Sentence:

If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book.

Comments: I read the first three Unfortunate Events books about 3 years ago and for some reason never got around to reading the rest of them. In this first volume the Baudelaire children become orphans and are sent to live with the evil Count Orloff who treats them miserably and plans to take their fortune from them. This series is mostly a parody of the Victorian penny dreadful type of books and is really a lot fun. The atmosphere is dark and gloomy and the humour dry and ironic. Literary allusions abound. The setting is an alternate one being clearly set in a Victorian age while also having such conveniences as cars and walkie-talkies. Some parts went over the 7yo's head but mostly he understood the humour and when he didn't I explained it to him. He was certainly along for the ride and experienced a roller coaster of emotions throughout the story. The children are very likable characters and the villains are evil and dastardly. We are both anxious to read the next book.

Read Aloud #2: Dad just finished reading Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore as a bedtime book. Ds7 enjoyed it so much when I read it to him that he requested Dad to read it to him next.

Read Alouds for 2007

77. Gingerbread Baby by Ursula Moray Williams
76. The Good Little Christmas Tree by Ursula Moray Williams
75. Merry Christmas Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola
74. Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present by John Burmingham
73. The Adventures of Buster Bear by Thornton W. Burgess
72. The Complete Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
71. Little Pear by Eleanor Frances Lattimore
70. Swim, Little Wombat, Swim! by Charles Fuge
69. Stone Soup by Ann McGovern
68. Hunwick's Egg by Mem Fox
67. Tasting in Living Things by Karen Hartley
66. Wombat Stew by Marcia K. Vaughan
65. Do-it-yourself Magic by Ruth Chew
64. When Agnes Caws by Candace Fleming
63. Poppy and Rye by Avi
62. The Hoboken Chicken Emergency by Daniel Pinkwater
61. Frog Went a Courtin' by John Langstaff
60. The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
59. Animal Senses by Pamela Hickman
58. Secret Seven on the Trail by Enid Blyton
57. Poppy by Avi
56. Fantastic Mr. Fox by Roald Dahl
55. The Giggler Treatment by Roddy Doyle
54. Cactus Desert (One Small Square) by Donald M. Silver
53. Flossie & the Fox by Patricia C. McKissack
52. Bub, Snow, and the Burly Bear Scare by Carol and Bill Wallace
51. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
50. Viking Ships at Sunrise (MTH#15) by Mary Pope Osborne
49. Ereth's Birthday by Avi
48. The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne
47. The Day of the Dragon-King (MTH #14) by Mary Pope Osborne
46. Animals and Thier Young by Patricia Hickman
45. Secret Seven Mystery by Enid Blyton
44. Vacation Under the Volcano (MTH#13) by Mary Pope Osborne
43. Tropical Rain Forest (One Small Square) by Donald M. Silver
42. The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden
41. Polar Bears Past Bedtime (MTH#12) by Mary Pope Osborne
40. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
39. Lions at Lunchtime (MTH #11) by Mary Pope Osborne
38. Gost Town at Sundown (MTH #10) by Mary Pope Osborne
37. Secret Seven Adventure by Enid Blyton
36. The Tarantula in My Purse and 172 Other Wild Pets by Jean Craighead George
35. Dolphins at Daybreak (MTH #9) by Mary Pope Osborne
34. The Complete Tales by Beatrix Potter
33. Midnight on the Moon (MTH#8) by Mary Pope Osborne
32. Animal Defenses by Etta Kaner
31. African Savanna (One Small Square) by Donald M. Silver
30. Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling
29. Sunset of the Sabertooth (MTH#7) by Mary Pope Osborne
28. The Secret Seven by Enid Blyton
27. Afternoon on the Amazon (MTH #6) by Mary Pope Osborne
26. Andrew Lost #8: In the Deep by J.C. Greenburg
25. Night of the Ninjas (MTH #5) by Mary Pope Osborne
24. Pirates Past Noon (MTH #4) by Mary Pope Osborne
23. Socks by Beverly Cleary
22. Andrew Lost #7: On the Reef - J.C. Greenburg
21. Ant Cities - Arthur Dorros
20. Flash, Crash, Rumble, Roll - Franklyn M. Branley
19. Andrew Lost #6: In the Whale - J.C. Greenburg
18. Andrew Lost #5: Under the Water - J.C. Greenburg
17. James Herriot's Treasury for Children
16. Andrew Lost #4: In the Garden - J.C. Greenburg
15. The Adventures of Grandfather Frog - Thornton W. Burgess
14. Andrew Lost #3: In the Kitchen - J.C. Greenburg
13. Pippi Longstocking - Astrid Lindgren
12. Andrew Lost #2: In the Bathroom - J.C. Greenburg
11. Andrew Lost #1: On the Dog - J.C. Greenburg
10. The Magic Carpet Slippers - Dick King-Smith
9. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
8. Barn Owl - Phyllis Flower (OOP)
7. Chitty Chitty Bang Bang - Ian Fleming
6. How to Eat Fried Worms - Thomas Rockwell
5. Pete's Home Run - Marion Renick (OOP)
4. Merry Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle (abridged)
3. The Complete Adventures of Blinky Bill - Dorothy Wall (OOP)
2. The Marvelous Land of Oz - L. Frank Baum
1. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz - L. Frank Baum