Lemony Snicket is actually the pen name of an American author called Daniel Handler who was born in California in 1970. Lemony Snicket serves as the narrator of a series of books called “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and also acts as a character within the books. The series follows three siblings whose parents died in an arson attack on their house. The three children- Violet, Sunny and Klaus Baudelaire are sent to live with a relative named Count Olaf after their parents die, but Olaf has eyes on their inheritance. In the first seven books Olaf catches up with the children and tries to steal their fortune with some of his accomplices. However in the later books Olaf manages to fake his death, framing the children for it, who have to adopt disguises and run from the police. The books are very popular, and for good reason as you feel a strong sense of loyalty to the three children.

Here is a quick profile on each of them:

Violet is the natural leader of the three, as she is the eldest, fourteen years of age at the start of the books. She is due to inherit her parent s fortune when she reaches eighteen and she is also a very skilled inventor.

Klaus is twelve years old at the start of the series and the middle of the Baudelaire children. He is something of a bookworm, but the knowledge he accumulates through his reading has saved himself and his sisters on multiple occasions.

Sunny is only an infant, and only starts walking by the seventh book, but she exhibits sign of great intelligence and problem solving.

There are thirteen books in the series, in order as follows:

The Bad Beginning
The Reptile Room
The Wide Window
The Miserable Mill
The Austere Academy
The Ersatz Elevator
The Vile Village
The Hostile Hospital
The Carnivorous Carnival
The Slippery Slope
The Grim Grotto
The Penultimate Peril
The End

In some series of books you can get away without reading them in order, but if you want to read the “A Series of Unfortunate Events” series, then I recommend that you start with the first book, “The Bad Beginning” as it will give you the best introduction to the characters and the main plot. Otherwise you risk not getting the full enjoyment of the books if you start mid series, as the books may not make quite as much sense.