Guest rubilynne4 Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 i have a great friend who knows i hs, so she is always picking things up for me. she goes to alot of second hand stores, and used books shops. she picked up several of the books by lemony snicket, gateway ed products we the people narrated by martin sheen, great stories for kids series by jarry d. thomas, and more. can you give me any feedback on these. particularly the lemony snicket. i am a christian hser, and wanted to know if there might be anything objectional in these books/products. i know everyone is different in what they allow, but any feedback would be appreciated. i don't have time to read through them all. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pretty in Pink Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 We all enjoyed Lemony Snickett, enough that we own all of the books and have enjoyed the audios as well. All of the books have a gloomy feel to them. I can't recall anything extremely objectionable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChicoryChick Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 I have read the first one after seeing them recommended by one of the Bluedorn books. It was pretty good. It does have a warning not to read them if you like happy endings. I liked how the children were respectful and tried to overcome the odds and worked together as a family. I plan on reading more of them. I don't remember anything objectionable in the first one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 They are dark comedy melodramas. If you are okay with that, then they should be fine. There is nothing horror-like or racy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I agree, we have read the entire series and there is nothing real objectionable in them. That being said we hated them. It was the same thing in every book just the costumes changed. The ending was horrible, it was very anti-climatic for us. It was dark, and dank with none to little happy moments. They are nothing at all like the movie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Do you know anything about the books? Basically, the children are orphaned, and sent to live with assorted inappropriate caretakers, who mistreat them in various ways. They are constantly dealing with danger, and the grownups who should be taking care of them often do not listen to them or take them seriously. Oh, and a bad man is stalking them because he wants do do away with them (or marry the young girl) so he can have their money. The children are smart and polite and take care of each other. There are a lot of good vocabulary words in the books. It is very much a situation of either this dark, ironic style is to your taste or it is not, and the only way to find out is to read one yourself. Elsie Dinsmore, it isn't. They're fairly easy reads, and each is very similar to the next, so you'll know after a few chapters whether it's for you or not. We loved them, especially the books on tape - the readers (some by the author and some by Tim Curry) are excellent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubilynne4 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 wow! thanks everyone for the info. my dd is an avid reader, and her tastes do vary, but gloomy is not necessarily one of them. however i have several other up and coming readers, so i guess i will have to break down and read one (or at least a few chapters). i just didn't want to read them all, i have my own reading list right now, and it's quite full. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubilynne4 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 Do you know anything about the books? Basically, the children are orphaned, and sent to live with assorted inappropriate caretakers, who mistreat them in various ways. They are constantly dealing with danger, and the grownups who should be taking care of them often do not listen to them or take them seriously. Oh, and a bad man is stalking them because he wants do do away with them (or marry the young girl) so he can have their money. The children are smart and polite and take care of each other. There are a lot of good vocabulary words in the books. It is very much a situation of either this dark, ironic style is to your taste or it is not, and the only way to find out is to read one yourself. Elsie Dinsmore, it isn't. They're fairly easy reads, and each is very similar to the next, so you'll know after a few chapters whether it's for you or not. We loved them, especially the books on tape - the readers (some by the author and some by Tim Curry) are excellent. thanks for the summary, it helped alot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cindyg Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 (edited) My son and I have been through the whole Series of Unfortunate Events series twice. We are avid readers, and have read many books and many series, but I don't think any have touched us like A Series of Unfortunate Events. It is a brilliant piece of writing. Here is some of what we love about it: The language The love of literature The irony The humor The nuances The sense of family The ability to withstand adversity (mainly due to strong family ties and being well read) The way the books intertwine The way the characters mature in wisdom as the series progresses Despite the name, and despite the setting, and even despite what the author himself says about the stories in the books -- I don't think these are dark stories. They are about overcoming. It's the ultimate "coming of age" story. I recommend you think twice before discarding this series. It is a real treasure. (And, no, I don't like dark books.) Here's a link to a previous discussion on the series: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46466&highlight=series Edited June 13, 2010 by Cindyg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubilynne4 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 My son and I have been through the whole Series of Unfortunate Events series twice. We are avid readers, and have read many books and many series, but I don't think any have touched us like A Series of Unfortunate Events. It is a brilliant piece of writing. Here is some of what we love about it: The language The love of literature The irony The humor The nuances The sense of family The ability to withstand adversity (mainly due to strong family ties and being well read) The way the books intertwine The way the characters mature in wisdom as the series progresses Despite the name, and despite the setting, and even despite what the author himself says about the stories in the books -- I don't think these are dark stories. They are about overcoming. It's the ultimate "coming of age" story. I recommend you think twice before discarding this series. It is a real treasure. (And, no, I don't like dark books.) Here's a link to a previous discussion on the series: http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46466&highlight=series thank you for your input. i wasn't going to discard the books (i have a hard time discarding any books :001_smile:). and i'm def going to read a little myself. just wasn't sure if my dd would like them. my initial hesitancy was just a concern there might be something that was inappropriate in the books, but as another poster stated nothing really racy or objectionable. your review has made me want to look into them even more. i will def look at the link as well. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeanne in MN Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I don't like dark and gloomy. I don't like children in danger. I don't like children having to run from a dangerous adult with no one to help them. I don't like characters dying as part of a story because someone is evil. I REALLY don't like characters dying as part of a story when they are innocent, it happens in front of the children and it's totally unnecessary. I don't have a problem with Harry Potter (except when Cedric Diggory died). I do have a problem with The Series of Unfortunate Events. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeinfl Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 My son read them and enjoyed them, but by the time he reached the last book, he started to have nightmares of someone chasing him to murder him. I decided right then and there that I would skip them with my youngest son who is way more impressionable. That being said, he was in the 6th grade when he read them and until he started having the nightmares, he really enjoyed them. I don't consider them a great piece of literary work, but they are okay. JMHO, Dee (who has much more stringent standards now about what my children read) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubilynne4 Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 wow! there is such diverging views on these books. i def am curious now, and will be reading at least one. i think i will hold off on dd reading them until i check it out further. as i just stated i'm not into discarding books easily, but i do know that my dd is sensitive, tends to be very literal, and definitely likes happy endings. this may not be for her, but that doesn't mean she might not like them, or understand them better when she's a bit older. we'll have to wait and see i guess. for now the books are on my "mom has to read/research first shelf". does anyone else have a shelf like that? or is it just me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 we'll have to wait and see i guess. for now the books are on my "mom has to read/research first shelf". does anyone else have a shelf like that? or is it just me? My shelf is more like a "mom can't wait until you're old enough to read this, you're going to love it, eventually," shelf. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 The language The love of literature The irony The humor The nuances The sense of family The ability to withstand adversity (mainly due to strong family ties and being well read) The way the books intertwine The way the characters mature in wisdom as the series progresses Despite the name, and despite the setting, and even despite what the author himself says about the stories in the books -- I don't think these are dark stories. They are about overcoming. It's the ultimate "coming of age" story. :iagree: The audios are particularly well done - we listened to library copies and my daughters have a set of the books also. Highly recommended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I read the first book in this series, and I did not like it at all. I had an especially hard time with the uncle trying to marry the very young girl, and the baby being locked in a cage hanging in a tower window. (That still make me shudder.) I thought these themes, presented in such a dark way, were far too spooky... certainly not something I'd read to young children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnandtinagilbert Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 My shelf is more like a "mom can't wait until you're old enough to read this, you're going to love it, eventually," shelf. :D :iagree: We did read them aloud in 2nd grade, then my son read them all on his own starting in about 3rd or 4th, I forget. The vocabulary in those books is outstanding! The stories are def. not meant to be all happy ending, the purpose is to tell a dark tale, but I find them not as spiritually dark as Harry Potter (which I am just allowing my rising 8th grader to read). The stories are fun and full of unique and interesting characters. I find the "baby locked up" to be no more frightful than how Disney characters are trapped by the villians, just mho. We love them enough that we're building our collection. I just bought another one this weekend at the Friends of the Library bookstore for $2! We only need 4 more to complete the series! Certainly better than the common and popular junk that's out there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 No, I didn't find anything inappropriate. Just that the plot of the story is very depressing as well as the movie. My kids didn't pick up on that but I sure did. Maybe its because I lost my own mother at a young age and know what it feels like to lose a parent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TracyR Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I don't like dark and gloomy. I don't like children in danger. I don't like children having to run from a dangerous adult with no one to help them. I don't like characters dying as part of a story because someone is evil. I REALLY don't like characters dying as part of a story when they are innocent, it happens in front of the children and it's totally unnecessary. I don't have a problem with Harry Potter (except when Cedric Diggory died). I do have a problem with The Series of Unfortunate Events. This was why I did not like them as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rubilynne4 Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 update: well for now i've decided to pass the books on to a fellow hser who's junior high son like the series. if, in the furture dc are interested we can revisit this whole topic. my fellow hser was happy, and this way the books won't just sit there on my shelf until i read them, or my daughter gets old enough to. thanks for the replies everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate in Arabia Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 I was fine with the series, but my ds didn't like them. "It's just a series of, umm, unfortunate events, one after another!" I think he found it too depressing, or upsetting, that these kids were faced with one calamity after another. I'm holding onto them until I discover whether his siblings are interested. However he really enjoyed the movie, fwiw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted June 14, 2010 Share Posted June 14, 2010 update: well for now i've decided to pass the books on to a fellow hser who's junior high son like the series. if, in the furture dc are interested we can revisit this whole topic. my fellow hser was happy, and this way the books won't just sit there on my shelf until i read them, or my daughter gets old enough to. thanks for the replies everyone. Sounds like you've made the right decision for your family. You can always get them from the library if you want to try them, and you've made a tween boy very happy, so everyone wins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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