The Bad Beginning

I have been in a reading slump lately so I decided to pick this up. After I started reading I realized this was a book I had read to my boys when they were little. I didn't remember much of the story so it was still interesting to read but it did bring back a lot of memories of my boys and their thoughts as I read the story. Mostly, I remember their thoughts on what they would have done to save the little girl. My younger son, being a super hero, would have flown up to the tower, smashed the bad guy down, and then saved the little girl. I remember those days of trying to get my youngest to understand that he did not really have super human strength and that he really did need to stay out of the road and avoid strangers.

I did think the book was a bit dark for kids but my oldest son did enjoy this series and is now a totally normal adult human that does not require therapy. If your child gets scared and has bad dreams I wouldn't give them this book. In this book both parents are killed in a house fire while the kids are out. The children are then orphans who cannot even retrieve any of their belongings because they are burnt to a crisp. They are left with a sizable fortune but it cannot be accessed until Violet, the oldest, is of age. According to their parent's will they must be placed with a relative so they are placed with the closest relative available. This person is a horrible man who lives in a dark, dirty house with a creepy tower where they are forbidden to go. This man is mean and makes them eat lumpy oatmeal for breakfast and then gives them very difficult chores to do while he is gone - like chopping wood or making dinner for his entire theatre group. They realize the man is only trying to get their fortune and doesn't care about them at all. The man will do anything to get what he wants, including locking the baby up in a cage in the top of the tower.