The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket - 4 stars

I got this book for my birthday. I had been trying to collect these and finally got this first one. I do have to say that I agree with others who said this was kind of dark for Middle graders, but I liked it.
Synopsis
Dear Reader,

I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and clever, the Baudelaire siblings lead lives filled with misery and woe. From the very first page of this book when the children are at the beach and receive terrible news, continuing on through the entire story, disaster lurks at their heels. One might say they are magnets for misfortune.

In this short book alone, the three youngsters encounter a greedy and repulsive villain, itchy clothing, a disastrous fire, a plot to steal their fortune, and cold porridge for breakfast.

It is my sad duty to write down these unpleasant tales, but there is nothing stopping you from putting this book down at once and reading something happy, if you prefer that sort of thing.

With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket

I really liked the plotline to this story and that the further I went into it, the darker it got, right to the very last page. I also enjoyed the warnings in this book of how the story is unfortunate and has an unhappy ending. Plenty of warning for anyone who likes Happy Endings. I found that the writing in this book is very fluid and there are also a lot of explanations of specific words for kids who do decide to read it. I must say that it is kind of dark for Middle Grade, so please be aware of that. I particularly liked the w.ay this one ended, it left behind that urgency to read the next.

The characters are amazing for such a short book. I already feel as though I know each one fo them pretty well. I think they will be very well developed by the time this series is over and I like that a lot. I have to say I think Violet is my favorite of the children. I look forward to reading more about her, actually about all of them. Our Villain, Count Olaf, is relentlessly evil. One of those chracters readers love to hate. I am in it for the long haul becasuse I wanna see him get his, or so I am hopeful for that.

Even though this book is middle grade, I have to recommend adults read it. I think anyone can enjoy it if you like dark humor/fiction. I look forward to continuing on with the next book in this series.