The Slippery Slope

October 1, 2003
Stand back, Snicket fans, the latest Unfortunate Events are about to unfold in The Slippery Slope by Lemony Snicket, illus. by Brett Helquist. Violet and Klaus Baudelaire must climb the titular terrain as they search for their sister Sunny in the Mortmain Mountains, after she is kidnapped by-who else-the diabolical Count Olaf. Will they reunite? Will they find their way out? Read on and find out.... Also being released this month, a slip-covered edition of the launch title, The Bad Beginning: Rare Edition, along with a stand-up portrait of the calamitous cast.

January 1, 2004
Gr 4-6-The Baudelaire children are back for another harrowing adventure in the quest to find their parents and foil Count Olaf's evil plans. When the villain kidnaps Sunny and takes her to the Mortmain Mountains, Violet and Klaus race against time to save her and find the "last safe place." This fast-paced continuation of the series finds the well-developed characters working with another friend to help solve the mysteries of the slippery slope. The dark humor and cliff-hanger ending will keep fans eagerly awaiting the next installment. Black-and-white sketches throughout the text enhance the story.-Krista Tokarz, Cuyahoga County Public Library, OH

Copyright 2003 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2004
Gr. 3-5. It's clear throughout that Snicket hasn't lost his sense of the absurd or his momentum in this "Book the Tenth." As in previous episodes, the adventures of the Baudelaire sibs spin out with the zest and cliff-hanger dramatics of old-fashioned serials. Left hurtling down a mountain at the close of " The Carnivorous Carnival" (2002), Klaus and Violet concentrate here on saving themselves; rescuing baby Sunny, who is once more in the clutches of the evil Count Olaf; and continuing their campaign to put a stop to Olaf's evil doings once and for all. Of course, they have their work cut out for them, but with a surprising ally, they stumble through the usual assortment of clues and secret messages that actually seem to get them one step closer to their ultimate goal. Characters are true to form, ridiculous and fun, and, once again, the wry telling is pitch-perfect, with plenty of the joyful wordplay and the quirky imaginative touches Snicket's legions of fans expect.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2004
In this longer-than-usual installment, Violet and Klaus Baudelaire travel to the Mortmain Mountains in hopes of finding their little sister Sunny, who has been kidnapped by the evil Count Olaf. The Baudelaires meet up with an old friend, Count Olaf is betrayed by two members of his entourage, and the telling of this intentionally over-the-top story is as arch (and one-note) as ever.

(Copyright 2004 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)