I'm reading through this series with my daughter Celyn (10 years old, very disabled, hence Dad does the reading). 
 Edit: Finished & reviewed all 13! 
 So, this is a clever, entertaining book set in a world like ours but populated with bizarre characters and with distinctly dark undercurrents. 
 Recurring themes throughout the series are: 
 i) Adults are mindbogglingly stupid. 
 ii) The narrator, Lemony Snicket, is a character we glimpse in tantalising snatches. 
 iii) Words that stretch a child's vocabulary are used regularly but defined in context (by the narrator) in an amusing way. 
 iv) The three siblings, Violet (14), Klaus (12), and Sunny (1) will use their singular talents (respectively inventor/bookworm/biter) to solve the problem. 
 v) That problem will be Count Olaaf 
 The book (like Roald Dahl's work) succeeds with a combination of wit, slapstick, and malice. 
 Short, very readable, will leave you wanting the next. 
 This one sets the scene, rapidly orphaning the children, establishing the goal (to survive long enough to take control of their huge inheritance), and their adversary (Count Olaaf and his theatre troop of sinister villains). 
 We have ten of the books because my elder children loved them when they were young. On book 5 I'm thinking we'll probably read them all. 
 EDIT: I have now posted reviews of all 13 books in the series - check them out! 
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