softwareNerd Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 My son (almost 7) has just finished the first three Lemony Snicket books and has enjoyed them thoroughly. He stayed up extra late today because he simply could not bear to put down book three without knowing how it would end. I admit that I picked up the first book with some hesitation. Knowing that the parents of the three main characters die in a fire in chapter 1, and knowing that my son cannot even stand to see Nemo (as in Disney fish) separated from his parents, I wondered whether the book was appropriate. After reading a bit, I was satisfied that it was. I even read most of the first book aloud to him -- ready to pack it away for later in case it upset him. He was glued to the story. The books are very well plotted -- for that age-level. The villain is always trying to make life hell for the Baudelaire kids and even to kill them (he kills others in the process). They have some close shaves, but come out on top. I'd highly recommend it to the 7 to 9 year age-group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studentofobjectivism Posted May 12, 2005 Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 I ask, what is the underlying theme behind the books? Yes they are just kids books, but Harry Potter seems to have Objectivist related themes? I am sure you wouldn't feed your kids mysticist rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted May 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 12, 2005 I am sure you wouldn't feed your kids mysticist rubbish.Not sure how you could be sure. Fact is, I would not feed my kid rubbish of any kind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RationalBiker Posted May 13, 2005 Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 I ask, what is the underlying theme behind the books? Yes they are just kids books, but Harry Potter seems to have Objectivist related themes? I am sure you wouldn't feed your kids mysticist rubbish. I can't speak to the books, but the movie demonstrated that the kids used reason, logic and intelligence to overcome their obstacles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted May 13, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 13, 2005 I can't speak to the books, but the movie demonstrated that the kids used reason, logic and intelligence to overcome their obstacles. Thanks for the info. Good to hear that. I was wondering if the movie would be as good as the books. Would you say the movie is appropriate for a 7 year old? As for the theme, I agree. It is: good vs. evil. And, the good guys win Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RationalBiker Posted May 16, 2005 Report Share Posted May 16, 2005 Would you say the movie is appropriate for a 7 year old? I think Carey's character could occasionally be scary to a 7 year old, but I probably would have let my son watch it when he was 7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted May 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 The movie was good, but (perhaps as with most really good books) could not do justice to the books. Now that we (we read many together) have read 9 of the 11 books, I like them even more. I'd say they're targetted at a 9-10 year old more than a 7 year old. I enjoy them, even as an adult. Like many kids tales, certain things are far-fetched, but nothing as far-fetched as magic. The plots are very absorbing and the style is unique and enjoyable. I'd recommend it to teenagers too, not as being at their reading level, but being enjoyable nonetheless -- in much the same way as a 40-year old might enjoy reading "Treasure Island" or "Harry Potter". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michero Posted August 5, 2005 Report Share Posted August 5, 2005 (edited) I saw the movie and while I have to say I was incredibly irritated by the mood, I liked in general the fact that the children were able to escape danger by using their brains. Personally when I was a child (about 8-10) one of my favorite books was a collection of greek mythology. Man I wore that thing ragged. The specific book I read was "the greek gods by evslin, evslin & hoopes" HAHA looking at it now, the pictures are really funny--it must have been published in the 60's or 70's. There may be better collections out there of greek myths but I liked the organization of this one. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde may be good (you may want to read or re-read this first). I know I enjoyed that one and it is quite short but the writing as I remember is outstanding. Actually stongbrains.com reccomended Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You may want to check out the website http://strongbrains.com/ Edited August 5, 2005 by Michero Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted October 12, 2006 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2006 For Lemony Snicket fans who may have forgotten: the 13 (and last) book of the series goes on sale tomorrow, Friday the 13th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inertiatic Posted December 10, 2008 Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Not to revive ancient topics, but I just wanted to say that I really like these books. One thing I noticed was that the heroes never stooped to the level of the villains; they didn't resort to murder once, I believe, and only stole/disguised themselves when it was absolutely necessary/justified. It's rare, to see devfotion to "nobility" like that anymore.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwareNerd Posted December 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2008 Have you read the entire series? I thought that while the individual books were fun, the author didn't manage to pull them together as a series -- i.e. he didn't too a good job with the plot at that (across-the-books) level. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.