In a book that is part mystery, part coming-of-age novel, a 12-year-old girl unravels the secret of her shadowy past. Evie has lived at a Maine bed-and-breakfast with her artistic, fortune-telling grandmother since the death of her mother and hospitalization of her father six years ago. A summer storm in which Evie glimpses a phantom figure in the night sets off a chain of events that propels her to delve into long unanswered questions. Falling into a rocky crevice, she stumbles across some anonymous paintings on the chamber walls. There are three possible painters: the professor who is staying at the bed- and-breakfast, the art teacher, Julia, or her own grandmother. In an accidental meeting, Evie comes face to face with a stranger among the rocks and finds herself staring into the blue eyes— eyes she almost recognizes—of a madman. This chance encounter solves the riddle of the paintings, but precipitates the reunion of father and daughter. The plot is so tangled that several threads of subplots remain undeveloped. The title offers a neat metaphor for looking at life in a more positive light, but the book leaves readers dangling between the tease of a suspense novel never fully realized and a character study only half- sketched. (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1997
ISBN: 0-385-32292-5
Page Count: 148
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1997
The Baudelaire children—Violet, 14, Klaus, 12, and baby Sunny—are exceedingly ill-fated; Snicket extracts both humor and horror from their situation, as he gleefully puts them through one terrible ordeal after another. After receiving the news that their parents died in a fire, the three hapless orphans are delivered into the care of Count Olaf, who “is either a third cousin four times removed, or a fourth cousin three times removed.” The villainous Count Olaf is morally depraved and generally mean, and only takes in the downtrodden yet valiant children so that he can figure out a way to separate them from their considerable inheritance. The youngsters are able to escape his clutches at the end, but since this is the first installment in A Series of Unfortunate Events, there will be more ghastly doings. Written with old-fashioned flair, this fast-paced book is not for the squeamish: the Baudelaire children are truly sympathetic characters who encounter a multitude of distressing situations. Those who enjoy a little poison in their porridge will find it wicked good fun. (b&w illustrations, not seen) (Fiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Sept. 30, 1999
ISBN: 0-06-440766-7
Page Count: 162
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1999
Fans of Cameron’s Huey and Julian stories (More Stories Huey Tells, 1997, etc.) are in for a treat as Gloria, their friend from those tales, gets a book of her own and graciously allows the two brothers to share it . In the first tale, Gloria makes a wonderful card for her mother, but the wind blows it away and it ends up in the cage of a cantankerous parrot. Thanks to Mr. Bates, Huey and Julian’s dad, the day is saved, as is the burgeoning friendship that Gloria and the boys have struck up with new neighbor Latisha in the story, “The Promise.” In another story, Gloria has to deal with a huge problem—fractions—and this time it’s her dad who helps her through it. Mr. Bates proves helpful again when the group trains an “obsessed” puppy, while Gloria’s mother is supportive when Gloria is unintentionally hurt by her three best friends. The stories are warm and funny, as Gloria, a spunky kid who gets into some strange predicaments, finds out that her friends and wise, loving adults are good to have around when trouble beckons. Great fun, with subtly placed, positive messages that never take center stage. (b&w illustrations) (Fiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: March 9, 2000
ISBN: 0-374-32670-3
Page Count: 93
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2000
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