Debate: A Series Of Unfortunate Events

[cwm3]

There is only one thing I have to say to sum up that critic's report:

[Undomiel]

Ack! I hate debates- primarily because I can always see both sides of the argument, and therefore can't ever get passionate about either side, because I can see where the other is coming from.

So- Although I agree with you all as much as the next person, and I do agree that these books are perfectly fine (my 10 year old sister is reading them and she's not been depressed since she started, actually, she's a bit happier), I will try and give you all what I think is this bookseller's perspective.

Disclaimer: I in no way endorse or agree with the bookseller's perspective or ideas about this book. I can only imagine that I know what she means when she says what she says, and I am just trying to be fair and let her side of the argument be heard. I don't agree with it, I just can fathom it.

Books, especially children's books, should be an escape from the real world, and these mirror it instead. I think the bookseller prefers books that help children to take their mind off their troubles, and their real-life problems and stresses in a book where everyone has a jolly time.

To counter, all I have to say is that sometimes I find I read depressing stories or watch depressing movies to make me feel better. If someone has a serious, life-threatening problem (like Charles Darnay & Sydney Carton in A Tale of Two Cities), I'll stop and say "well, the fact that I failed my spanish test is nothing compared to being beheaded".

I guess you could call me a Charles, if you will- an eternal optimist.

[Tyler]

Well, who cares if the adults are evil or stupid? Alot of kids today think their parents are either stupid or evil. If that guy doesn't like the series, he should e-mail LS and tell him his true feelings about the books.

[lemonysinlaw]

Frozen said:

This 'bookseller' is obviously another 'child-lover' who smothers kids in metaphorical cotton wool. This is a BOOk for goodness sakes! It's not gong to mentally scar us for life! You can't protect teenagers, kids, ect. forever. for all HE/SHE knows, the kids could get knocked down but a drink-driver crossing the road (it's happened enough).
There's a lot more to protect people against, then a book. Reading a book like that inproves your vocab and proves that nothing's certain, you never know what's round the courner, and that even though there is plenty of good in most people, you'll always meet those who, however hard you look, have no kindness or good in them. There are vicious, selfish, greedy people out there, that you can' t always trust. These are important messages.

Yep.

Sally said:

-The world can be a dangerous place.
-Life isn't fair.
-Villains are not always caught and punished.
-Sometimes you have to get yourself out of trouble.
*-mummy and daddy wont always be there for you.

I absolutely agree.

[euromegamouth]

The said:

Yeah. I think thats persons crazy.

I think that person's just stupid.I read that "review" on amazon.com and I could hardly believe it! ::)How prejudging can people be?

[Underage child]

Look people I have this same stuff with harry potter. Snicket has woven story that does not sugar-coat life. Some people are always yapping about fansty will make kids jump off buildings and stuff like that. But this is not fanisty it is like Dr. Suess a cute little childens tale that is about the arms race.
Get a Life

[croquetanyone]

All I have to say is Daniel Handler doesn't treat children like they're idiots. I work with children as a career, and they are not stupid. Sometimes, as adults, we forget what it's like to be a child or teenager. We spell things in front of children like "It's time for someone to take a N-A-P pretty soon." LIke they can't figure it out. Children are not stupid, and I think these books give children a wider vocabulary and a desire to learn and read more of the classics. As far as the depressing stuff goes, everyone is right, LIFE ISN'T FAIR. Mommy and Daddy aren't always going to be there for you. Parents these days are raising their children too soft. Little Johnny is going to fall and break his arm. Little Sally is going to see something on TV she shouldn't. Parents fail to realize that in life we learn from literature and experience. We learn through our five senses. We see, hear, touch, taste, smell. Sometimes it's bad, and sometimes it's wonderful, or just OK. The books make me feel better about my life. My job sucks? At least my parents didn't burn in a fire along with all of my possessions. Kids and adults alike can read these books and know that they could have it a lot worse. OK I'm finally done. Sorry if I preached.

[SnicketFires]

Really! As I see it, books usually don't get kids depressed.

And have you watched children's cartoons or movies latley? Finding Nemo (I love it!) has quite a bit of dispair and sadness in it. My point is, even kid's shows have scary/tragic plots.

And being scared after reading about a murder? (In all due respect, Monty's murder wasn't bloody or gory) That's ...ahem... scarring! Preposterous!

My eight year old cousin reads them and has no problems with them! I started reading these when I was ten, and I found them absolutely smashing! Now I enjoy them even more because I get the literal allusions. This person who wrote the review should think before she opens her mouth.

[ice]

To the reviewer:
I would provide some of my "ASCII art" (ahem) but it won't line up right.

To really judge this series, one must read books 1-8 and LSUA. There is no way anybody can find out about the real mysteries of the series - What is the "true" VFD? is Beatrice really dead? are the Baudelaire and Quagmire parents really dead? where is LS now? - without...well, the UA, really. But you need books 1-8 to understand it.

The murder in TRR is typical of Olaf, killing people if they get in his way. Which reminds me - what did HP reviewers say about Sirius's death in OoTP?

ASoUE has a moral all right. It should be obvious - DUMB PEOPLE, DONT READ THIS. ;D
Seriously, has anyone ever noticed that virtually all children's books have the same plot? I think there is The Book somewhere stating what all children's books must have. Here is The Book's required plot, shown generic, and applied to HP and ASoUE.

Generic HP ASoUE
- Character(s) is(are) Harry - lost parents, Bauds - lost parents
suffering. with Voldy searching
for and aiming to
kill him
- Suffering made worse Dursleys Olaf + Co.
with introduction of
new characters.

- Some stuff happens. Books 1-5 Books 1-10

- Slowly, the situation End of 5 Starts to happen, but falters
starts to look better.

- Somebody comes to rescue Dumbledore Not yet
the character(s).

- The evil force succumbs Voldy probably Most definitely not yet
to the rescuer(s). will

- All is well. Not quite there yet Most most definitely not yet

Required Moral: Somebody will always be there to save you when all seems horrible.

OK my table came out crap but you get the idea. Anybody see something wrong with this? Just because a book or 10 doesn't follow the Required Plot does not mean it doesn't have a meaningful moral, which is you sometimes have to think for yourself to get out of a tight situation. Which reminds me, the reviewer failed to mention that Violet invented a useful tool out of everyday items and Klaus did some thinking and research to save themselves.
ASoUE could be the first kid's book series to break the tradition of The Book. Good job, Handler.

[Celinra]

Apparently, that reviewer should have read the third book, where it expicitely states what the moral is, since they seem to be not able to figure it out themselves.
They say it seems to be, "That life [stinks] and there's nothing you can do about it." What they don't realize is that the kids are doing stuff about it. Yes, life stinks sometimes. Rather than fall into depression and go along with it, do something about it! The Bauds didn't just say, "OK, Olaf, have our fortune," they prevented him from doing it. Things may not get much better for them, but they're still not giving up.
An interesting note is that the Grimm have written a couple very violent stories. One, for example, and a child pretending to be a butcher, while his brother pretends to be a pig, so he kills him. The mom, who was giving a younger sibling a bath, runs outside, sees what happens, and kills the child. She then remembers the baby, and runs up to discover that it has drowned in the tub while she was away. She then commits suicide. The dad comes home, sees all that happened, and, if I recall correctly, dies of loneliness or something like that some time later. So, ASOUE is certainly not the worst thing a child could read.

[embah]

What some parents have got to realise is that not everything us children see or hear is going to effect us. ASOUE is nothing compared to what we see on the news every night or what we hear on the radio or in the paper. ASOUE is funny, and it does teach us to get on with life and that not everything can go the way we'd like it to.

Parents are too overprotective now a days, which in a way is good, but not all the time. My parents for example are fine with me reading about crimes, but then I hear all of these other "outraged" parents making big deals over small matters. A good example of that is the Harry Potter series. I'm addicted to them! I love them, but you hear about these adults going to court about it and saying that the books influence witch craft.

When I hear that, I think, get a life of your own! I respect adults and couldn't live without my parents, but with things like reading ASOUE which I enjoy, I have to take a stand.

What some adults have got to learn is that, when we reach a certain age we're not children anymore and we can take care of ourselves. I love reading and ASOUE is one of my favourite series, but I'm not influenced by them. I'm not going to go to sleep at night thinking about what I've read that day and living in fear that that's going to happen to me!

It's just not like that.

[MsMourning]

I agree with Undomiel. When I read the books I think "Well, they have it far worse than I do." So when someone at school makes me mad or my crazy step mother pisses me off I'll just think of the Baudelaires.

[Amphagorey]

There is a moral to ASOUE. Be thankful for what you have! None of US are being chased by a murderous fiend who wants to steal our fortune.(Well, maybe some of us, but you get what I mean.) In an exagerated sense, he does get that message across. I don't think this person should read number three, or four for that matter. All they'll see is a woman getting devoured by leeches, and child labour.

[Antenora]

DeadlyViper said:

I wonder what morals this critic likes childerens storys to have...

-There will always be someone to help you.
-All you have to do is obay your elders and eat your veggys and you'll come out on top!
-The world may have kinks and bumps but all will be all right in the end!
-Murder? Whats that? People always die in thier sleep of old age.

Nicely put, and I agree that children's stories don't have to be like that. Too many of them, however, are sappy sugar-coated Disneyfied pabulum. I revere Snicket for breaking this mold with his tragicomic works.

The original Grimm stories are, yes, grim. In Cinderella, the evil sister cuts her toes off so her feet fit the slippers, and is found out when her blood is spilt on the ground. Disney took out all the nice gory bits. That reviewer should go watch Disney films, covering his/her eyes during the scary bits.

[GaryBaudelaire]

Yes, all kids need to have at least a different story fromo that darn Winnie the Pooh!! I mean, they think we're all like 3 or 4!! I doubt a fourteen year old is going to read some big book about a little kid that frolics through flowers and makes friends with talking animals.

Also, I had no idea that's what originally happened. If more people knew of these things, a new light would be shed on the fact.