Two More Books Read

When I heard the pseudonym ‘Lemony Snicket,’ I was enchanted.  For some odd reason, it brought the image of a little lemon-yellow, daisy-like flower to my mind.  A very fragrant flower.  A flower that I wanted bunches and bunches of growing in my yard and freshly picked ones artfully placed in vases around my house.

I thought, ‘Any book written by an author with the pseudonym Lemony Snicket had to be good, right?’

Then I discovered Snicket’s real name was Daniel Handle.  I see why he chose Lemony Snicket.

Then I read The Bad Beginning which is his first book in a series for children.

Reading the book was just as disappointing as finding out Lemony’s real name.  While there is a smattering of a fun literary device (parenthetical and cleverly written definitions of big words that young children might not understand), I can’t say that there is anything that especially grabbed me by the throat and kept me intrigued.   It’s my fault.  I’m a jaded and cynical adult full of balderdash — on my good days.

The story is about three children whose parents die in a fire and are forced to live with their third cousin, the evil Count Olaf, who hatches various evil schemes to steal their fortune.  On the surface, the plot seems valid.  Yet in the reading of it, I was left wanting.

I know I am a little bit older than the intended audience ( . . . well older chronologically but not mentally).  Maybe that is why this book didn’t click with me.  I don’t know for sure.  I do know that many children’s books and YA books have hit their mark with me so I do know that I can at times enjoy literature for little ones.

Would I recommend this book?  Mmmmm . . . nah.  Even if I were stranded on an island and that was the only book that I would ever have until the day I died and I was an avid reader?  Mmmmmm . . . nah.  I think I’ll pass on that.  I suggest you pass on reading it, too.

The 89th book that I’ve read since I started riding the bus is a horse of a different color.  It is Crispen: The Cross of Lead by Avi.  This is a historical novel about a 13 year-old boy in 14th century England who is declared a ‘wolf’s head’ (he’s wanted dead or alive, preferably dead) for a crime he did not commit. The story chronicles his evasion from those who seek to kill him, the relationship with a man called Bear, and the discovery of his true identity.

This book, my friends, is a page turner.  I think the ending is a little weak and happens too quickly but overall it is a good book.  The Polaroid snapshot of life in the 1300s is craftily woven into the action of the story and does not slow it down.  And at the end, you leave hoping for a sequel so you find out what happens next to Crispen and Bear.  Lucky for me, Avi wrote Crispen at the Edge of the World that I’ll have to put on my ‘to read’ list.

Would I want this book to keep me company on a desert island?  You bet!  Would I recommend it?  You bet — especially if I were in the young adult age group (which, so sadly, I am not).  It’s the 2003 Newbury Award winner so it isn’t surprising that it is such a good quality book.